SOCIAL WORK CASEWORK SERVICE
HOUSING BROKERAGE AND SUPPORT PROJECT
Our casework service aims to support people
who present to us with more complex issues
including family violence, homelessness and
other housing problems, mental health and
asylum seekers needing access to specialised
supports.
With Jenny Smith, CEO of the Council to
Homeless Persons as our guest speaker,
WCC was pleased to launch the Evaluation
of the Housing Brokerage and Support
Project. Authored by Dr Sharon Parkinson, the
evaluation investigated the success of the
project to date, and included interviews with
clients and other key stakeholders. A number
of recommendations were made which WCC is
committed to implementing. A copy of the full
report can be found on our website.
We continue to facilitate the Whittlesea
Emergency Relief (ER) Network, which
brings together local ER providers and other
interested parties in the City of Whittlesea to
share knowledge and resources, and create
an avenue for advocating for the needs of
our community.
Highlight: The Whittlesea ER Network’s
Christmas drive was a huge success in 2014
with a number of schools, local business
and community members donating toys and
non perishable items so that local providers
were given a boost to help with demand on
their services over the Christmas and New
Year period.
TAX HELP
The program run by the ATO and supported by
WCC continues to run successfully in ensuring
people on low incomes can successfully
complete their tax returns. Thank you to our
fabulous volunteers, many of whom return to
us each tax season, for their contribution.
“
The support staff are so
understanding and you do not feel
judged. They treat you with respect and
they are polite. They never look down on
you – they try to make you smile
Housing Brokerage Client
WHITTLESEA VOLUNTEER RESOURCE SERVICE
The WVRS faced a number of challenges this
financial year, including staffing gaps due to a
lack of surety around funding. Thankfully, the
WVRS was funded for another 12 months, and
Michelle Newton moved from the Settlement
Team and stepped in to the role of Volunteer
Resource and Training Worker. We assisted
community members with access to and
information on volunteer opportunities,
provided local volunteers with training across
a range of topics including food safety and
handling, manual handling, first aid and
emergency response training.
Highlights: With a Community Grant
from the City of Whittlesea, the Whittlesea
Partnership on Volunteering and Community
Engagement developed the Volunteers of
Whittlesea video, showcasing some of the
volunteer opportunities available in the
area and promoting volunteerism across the
municipality. The video can be viewed at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=asHCJjhUObY
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