Foreword
Emergency Relief funding assists service providers to deliver emergency, financial or other assistance to individuals and families in immediate financial crisis. Its objective is to assist people to deal with their immediate crisis situation in a way that maintains dignity and encourages self-reliance.
It is designed to assist people in temporary financial crisis to overcome their immediate crisis situation through provision of short-term emergency assistance, including material aid and referrals.
Agencies distribute Emergency Relief to clients according to the agencies’ own needs assessment and the agency determines the level and type of assistance that is most appropriate in each individual circumstance. Assistance is primarily provided in the form of food vouchers, prescription vouchers, petrol vouchers, assistance with rent/accommodation, part-payment of utility account/s, material assistance such as food parcels or clothing, and sometimes cash.
Approximately 750 community organisations, operating 1300 outlets, receive Emergency Relief funding through the Australian Government. Emergency Relief funding is intended to provide a supplement to the existing activities of community and charitable organisations. Organisations generally receive other government funding and/or donations from the public.
Emergency Relief is part of the Financial Management Program which links with FaHCSIA’s high-level outcome 4 ‘Strong and Resilient Communities’ through output 4.2 ‘Financial Management’.
The Financial Management Program includes (but is not limited to) the following service strategies:
- Commonwealth Financial Counselling (CFC);
- Emergency Relief (ER)
- Family Income Management (FIM);
- National Information Centre on Retirement Investments (NICRI); and
- National Research Strategy to Prevent Problem Gambling.