Client Services Report
The year also saw the establishment of a new partnership with the Whittlesea Community Building Initiative (CBI) and the
Whittlesea Area Community Care & Assistance (WACCA) group to manage an 8 seater vehicle based in the Whittlesea
Township. As a result, we have access to its use for Whittlesea Township residents requiring transport. This in return allows
us to reduce our fuel costs when transporting clients from Whittlesea.
Volunteer numbers have also grown as the demand for the service rises. We had 63 volunteers contributing well over 12,000
hours to the service during the year, a significant increase from the 7,500 hours completed last year. Volunteers are an
integral part of the service, without them the service would not exist. We thank all of our volunteers for their time and
commitment in providing a valuable service that assists so many of our community members.
EMERGENCY RELIEF
Eight dedicated ER assessors worked with some of the
most vulnerable in our community providing emergency
relief assistance and making referrals to relevant services.
Volunteers continue to access support for clients where
possible assisting with a number of Utility Relief Grant
applications and accessing extra financial assistance
through the Queens Fund. Through the casework service,
WCC was also able to access discretionary funds for clients
through the Ian and Nelle Clark encouragement fund and
the Walter and Eliza Hall Trust. In total, we were able to
access $18,663 in extra assistance for clients.
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
food
bills/rent
Medical expenses
Rent more than 40% of…
Transport costs
Outstanding debts
High utility bills
Education expenses
centrelink loan
Fines/penalties
baby/child expenses
Moving/eviction costs
Recent unemployment
Child access costs
Disruption to centrelink…
Drug/alcohol problems
Other
Reason for accessing ER
No. of clients
The Emergency Relief (ER) Service continued to see an
increase in demand, and despite assisting 1,489 clients, we
were forced to turn away 1,231 people seeking assistance.
The main reason for accessing ER continues to be for
housing stress and utilities. Other reasons for people
accessing the service have included outstanding debts,
medical expenses and education costs.
Re