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Description
Although as many as 75% of people polled (Legal Problems of Poles - D.A.S. 2018) say there is a need for legal assistance in Poland, in practice there is still very little access to information on legal matters, and some members of the public cannot afford private legal consultations. The poll Legal Awareness among Poles (SW Research, 2019) reveals that one in four respondents in fact identify financial limitations as the greatest factor preventing access to legal assistance. Tenants of properties sold to the private sector are particularly affected by this problem. This group is estimated to number more than 10 000 residents, according to the Long-Term Kraków Municipal Residential Resources and Temporary Premises Resources Development Plan for 2018-2023 and the Kraków Municipal Authority Real Property Black Book. This group usually comprises economically vulnerable persons or persons rendered economically vulnerable due to rent being driven by market conditions in residential units once they are sold to the private sector. The project will address the problem of the poor quality of the legal aid network and tenants'' poor awareness of legal matters. We plan to provide legal consultations for tenants in properties sold to the private sector, and will also spread information about tenants'' rights through legal awareness measures (four lectures and four workshops for tenants) and through a website with a database, templates, and case studies. We will provide training for III-V year law students and young law graduates to provide legal aid for tenants in a voluntary program. The project will improve legal aid for tenants and empower them by providing tools for them to resolve legal matters singlehandedly. The measures will encompass 80 tenants of properties sold to the private sector, from Kraków, and 12 volunteers (students and young lawyers).
Summary of project results
This project addressed the poor quality of the support network and low level of awareness of legal issues on the part of tenants in cases of restitution of tenements in Kraków. The sole source of support for this group was the state system of free legal advice. This system was not suited to tenants’ needs, as it was limited in scope and there were no specialists on protection of tenants’ rights. There were no institutions in Kraków taking measures to improve tenants’ awareness of legal issues.In the project, fourteen volunteers studying law at the Jagiellonian University attended training. The training provided new information and taught practical skills with regard to tenants’ rights and providing legal aid. Twelve volunteers then became more involved in active citizenship by providing pro bono legal advice in the project.The support provided primarily benefited poor people residing in tenements subject to restitution in Kraków (under municipal management or acquired by private owners). A vast majority of people given legal advice were women aged 60+. Under the project, we provided tenants with free legal advice (240 hours), and lectures and workshops (24 hours). 102 people were given legal advice, and 40 tenants attended workshops and lectures. Due to the project, tenants earned more about current laws, their rights and obligations, resolving basic legal issues by themselves, and drafting correspondence and applications. We also created a website available to the public with a guide with information for tenants on the major legal issues concerning tenants’ rights. The number of project participants confirms that the project addressed the major social problem of legal aid not being available. The project helped to make a group of tenants more aware of legal issues and more self-reliant in cases of restitution of tenements in Kraków.
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