Benjamin Millar
Melton Council will spend $150,000 on providing urgent support for those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Councillors recently voted to allocate a further $100,000 to the COVID-19 Relief Fund and extend the Connector Hubs food relief program with a further $50,000 on support.
The Council first resolved to create the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund in August last year, allocating $100,000 to be distributed through a grants program to community organisations and support agencies for the local delivery of food-relief, material aid and recovery initiatives.
The Community Connector Hubs program started at the same time, rolling out at Timbertop Children’s Community Centre, Kurunjang Community Hub and Stevenson House to provide food relief, material aid, social supports and referrals.
A report to the council found the programs have been effective emergency relief and hardship alleviation initiatives, but they were due to reach the end of allocated funding this month.
Almost $100,000 was allocated to 22 projects delivered by 14 not-for-profit organisations.
Of these projects, 17 have been completed, helping more than 12,000 residents.
“Most of the funding allocated (over 90 per cent) was used for emergency food relief such as groceries/food hampers, cooked meals and supermarket vouchers,” the report noted.
“The remaining (under 10 per cent) of funding allocated was used for emergency material aid items such as hygiene care packs, vouchers for warm winter clothing, blankets, heaters.
The projects were made possible through in-kind support, including almost 5500 hours of volunteer labour from the funded not-for-profit organisations.
The fund was created as a temporary, specific funding stream to enable community organisations to support residents impacted by the crisis to receive the help they needed.
“The ongoing and compounding impacts of the COVID-19 crisis has meant that this need has not diminished and is likely to continue until economic conditions improve.”
Councillors voted to spend another $100,000 via the COVID-19 Relief Fund to continue the grants program for 2021-2022, or until the funding is fully distributed.
