Emergency relief
For an increasingly large number of individuals and families in Victoria, ‘making ends meet’ poses great difficulties and they are unable to cope with a sudden urgent expense or withstand a financial emergency. For people in these situations, emergency relief (or ER) is often the only option for alleviating hardship or crisis.
Emergency relief usually takes the form of a small amount of cash, a cheque to pay an outstanding utility bill, food vouchers that are redeemable at a local supermarket, or a food parcel.
The provision of emergency relief and the work of emergency relief providers play a vital role in assisting people for whom the social security ‘safety net’ is inadequate. VCOSS is committed to supporting the work of emergency relief providers and addressing the broader systemic issues that contribute to the demand for emergency relief.
VCOSS does this through active membership of the Emergency Relief Victoria Network – a network of over 50 agencies throughout Victoria. Emergency relief providers are part of a largely invisible community network of non-government agencies that range from the local parish church to large, well-known welfare organisations like the Salvation Army, Anglicare and the St Vincent de Paul Society. Many emergency relief providers also provide a range of additional assistance such as information, support and referral to other services, second-hand clothing and furniture, access to cooked meals and emergency accommodation.
"A recent report estimates that there are around 800 emergency relief providers in Victoria, however nobody knows exactly how many providers actually exist. The Department of Family and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) funds around 180 agencies that in turn distribute funds through around 260 outlets; the remainder rely on a diverse range of other funding sources. Issues of resource and workforce sustainability are some of the most pressing issues facing the sector, which is heavily reliant on volunteers. An increase in both the level and complexity of demand faced by agencies pose other challenges." This text is from The Provision of Emergency Relief and Contemporary Pressures for Change in Metropolitan Melbourne, a report by Dr. Benno Engels. See publications for the full report and others on the subject.
In conjunction with Community Information Victoria (CIVic), the Salvation Army and (the then) Victoria Relief, VCOSS developed an accredited training course for emergency relief workers and volunteers and a manual, Course in Emergency Relief Work. Parts of this manual comprise the ACOSS (Australian Council of Social Services) Emergency Relief Handbook, which can be downloaded from the ACOSS website. The accredited training course continues to be run for the staff and volunteers who provide emergency relief. For more information on upcoming training courses contact CIVic.
Publications on this issue are listed here. If you would like to find out more about VCOSS work on emergency relief contact:
Rivkah Nissim
rivkah.nissim@vcoss.org.au