Women facing problems such as eviction, financial woes or domestic violence will have a chance tonight to ask the experts for advice.

A forum has been organised by the Women's Resource Centre (WRC) to help with with advice before their problems become so bad that they fall through the net.

Representatives from Bermuda Housing Corporation, Child and Family Services, Financial Assistance, Immigration, the Bank of Butterfield, and law firms Cox, Hallett, Wilkinson, and Francis and Forrest will be at Heritage Hall, Hamilton, tonight, for the meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.

WRC chair Penny Dill told The Royal Gazette last night the meeting had been organised in response to a number of questions her organisation has received from Bermudian and expatriate women in the last nine months, but she acknowledged things will be tougher for families in the coming months due to the economic slowdown.

"We've had a lot of people needing general advice, and with the economic turndown, there are going to be a lot more people needing to know where to turn to to get help and get answers to their questions," she said.

"We want to educate and inform them to take action before they fall through the net, and we hope the forum does not turn out to be an occasion to criticise the panellists, who are there to represent their departments.

"In housing, for example, we know there are working women who can't afford $2000 in rent, but they can afford to pay some rent," Ms Dill explained.

"We have women asking if legal aid applies to non-Bermudian women who need help because they are in an abusive relationship, because we have had expats marry Bermudians or non-Bermudians and something goes wrong in the relationship and they have nowhere to turn.

She added: "Can the banks provide emergency financing for women whose finances in a joint account have been claimed by their partner?

"It will cover the range of issues that have come up from domestic violence to women who have been referred to us by the police if they are facing eviction."