Wednesday, 11 February 2009
The Brumby Government is providing one-off grants to Neighbourhood Houses in bushfire-affected communities to help with emergency relief and recovery activities.
During a visit to the Yea Community House today, Community Development Minister Peter Batchelor and Local Government Minister Richard Wynne announced the funding and thanked local volunteers who were providing support to bushfire victims.
Mr Batchelor said Yea Community House and at least 20 other Neighbourhood Houses in Victoria’s fire-affected areas would receive a grant of $10,000 through the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program.
“Yea Community House is playing an important role, helping link people with services and providing support to the community especially since other Neighbourhood Houses in the Murrindindi Shire have been severely affected by the fires,” Mr Batchelor said.
“When communities are faced with crises like these bushfires, Neighbourhood Houses become a place people go to for all kinds of support.
“The Houses are being used as key resources for local communities at the moment – from providing showers and information to people who have lost their homes, to serving as a base for emergency response at the local level.”
Mr Wynne said the funding would help Neighbourhood Houses to not only cope with current demand for their services and any expenses incurred by emergency activities, but would fund activities when the immediate emergency was over.
“Neighbourhood Houses can choose how to best spend their grants, but it could be anything from community debriefing sessions with professional facilitators, through to a sausage sizzle, giving people the opportunity to get together and discuss their individual and shared experiences,” Mr Wynne said.
“These grants are to help Neighbourhood Houses do what they do best – create a stronger local community by bring people together.”
Mr Batchelor thanked volunteers across Victoria including the firefighters and those in the cities and towns coordinating, collecting and transporting donations, as well as the huge number of people who had donated money and goods.
Victorians wanting to help can call the Victorian Bushfire Volunteer Hotline 1300 366 356 or go to Go Volunteer at www.govolunteer.com.au
Information on Neighbourhood Houses grants will be available from www.dpcd.vic.gov.au or by calling the grants information line on 1300 366 356.
