As a law student, I found TAPS to be a great place to gain some practical experience. I mainly worked as an income assistance advocate, as well as doing some work with the Disability Advocacy Program. In this position, I was able to develop client interview and file management skills, something which we are not directly taught in the classroom. This position provided me a great opportunity to have ownership over my own caseload, yet do so in a comfortable and supportive environment. During the four months I worked at TAPS, I was able to assist clients in applying for benefits though the Ministry of Housing and Social Development, draft numerous written appeals of Ministry decisions, and take part in Employment and Assistance tribunals. I was able to become quite familiar with the relevant legislation and case law around income assistance, and learned quite a bit about the Residential Tenancy Act as well. I also had the opportunity to take part in a number of professional development workshops, and connect with a wide range of community organizations.
TAPS is an extremely fun and positive office, which is so important given the difficult issues we work with. It also has a great community feeling, and provides an important space for people to be heard. Income assistance and residential tenancy issues touch most people’s lives at some point, and it is incredibly rewarding to be able to help people in these situations in a concrete way.
