Emergency Relief and Casework
EMERGENCY RELIEF AND CASE MANAGEMENT
During 2012/13 WCC distributed $128,777 in discretionary
funds to support 1,696 vulnerable Whittlesea community
members in financial crisis. 29% of these clients had not
used the service previously and less than 10% had used it
for more than 3 years. In particular, thanks to the Queens
Fund, the Walter and Eliza Charitable Trust, and Ian and
Nelleke Clark Foundation for their continued support in
helping us to meet the needs of those in financial hardship.
Emergency Relief Service highlights included the following
key activities:
? Provision of 1,696 instances of financial assistance,
however we turned 2,495 away - an increase of just
over 100% to the previous year.
? Emergency Relief accounted for 85% of total
community information enquires to WCC during this
time. Impacts on ER include:
? Reduced eligibility for Centrelink benefits for
single mothers;
? Increasing rental and utility costs
? Higher number of Asylum seekers in Community
Detention without adequate government
support;
? Problem gambling rates
? High incidence of Family violence
Our social work case service provided 820 interventions to
compliment the emergency relief service. Assistance is
provided through helping people to navigate the service
system, referrals, emotional support and advocacy.
WCC employs one social work qualified caseworker and
takes social work students each year to expand the reach
of casework. WCC also continued to attend the Case
Managers Network meeting run by Community Information
Victoria and Emergency Relief Victoria Network meetings.
WCC convened the Whittlesea ER network to progress its
action plan and better coordinate activity across the
municipality. Guest speakers to the network included Adult
Migrant Education Service, Kildonan Financial Counseling,
Home Energy Saver Scheme among others.
The Christmas Appeal drive is now a regular annual event
for the network and was very successful this year. Action
Plan items are being progressed. Carey Grammar primary
school donated $1,100 and conducted a food run which
was distributed through the ER network. We developed
policy for changes to Melbourne’s public transport ticketing
system, due to the introduction of MYKI.
Housing Brokerage project
Addressing housing affordability continues to be a priority
for client services. The Housing Brokerage project supports
people to access the private rental market through
provision of an upfront small brokerage loan. A steering
committee ensures good governance, and includes
representatives of internal WCC programs, Plenty Valley
Community Health and a local Ray White Real Estate
agent. To date, loans have been provided to seven
residents. Community Information sessions were given to
100 residents, including the Arabic Speaking Men’s Group,
and the Northern Group of Ray White Real Estate Agents.
WCC identified women leaving family violence situations,
people with mental health issues, and newly arrived
refugees as target client groups. Many of these clients
present with a range of complex issues which impacts their
ability to access and maintain private rental. These issues,
combined with a lack of formal support structures and a
competitive housing market often entrenches the cycle of
recurring homelessness and has a detrimental effect on
both physical and mental health.
Feedback from key stakeholders has demonstrated the
need for this program to be continued and enhanced by
further and additional funding. By providing flexible
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