Emergency Relief Service
How can the Emergency Relief Service help you or your clients?
The service aims to support clients through:
- assistance for people to deal with their immediate crisis situation;
- delivery of services in a way that maintains the dignity of the individual and families;
- referral to other relevant services, to help clients pay bills or reduce the risk of being unable to pay their bills;
- advocacy support
- encourage greater self-reliance through building financial literacy.
Type of Assistance Offered
- Food, transport or clothing vouchers
- Part payment of utilities
- Assistance with specialist needs (e.g. education and health costs)
Client Eligibility
Provision of support through the service will be restricted solely to people unable to pay their bills or at imminent risk of not being able to do so.
Clients will also be required to be available to meet with the Project worker to assess their eligibility, situation, immediate needs and options for further support via referral to other appropriate services.
Every client situation will be assessed on an individual basis. Provision of support for clients will be based on a client’s circumstances.
Where there are more appropriate services/programs to support the client, they will be provided a referral.
Clients can access YFCC ERS funding three (3) times per calendar year, with a minimum of 3 months between services.
To obtain further information on the service please phone (03) 6423 6635
To Book an appointment – bookings for ERS are taken via phone, 6423 6635, on Monday mornings between 9am and 10am, with appointments booked only for that week. Once the weeks appointments are booked out, additional inquiries are directed to phone back the following Monday between 9am and 10am.
The Emergency Relief Service is an Australian Government Service funded through the Department of Social Services. Visit www.dss.gov.au for more information.
