Emergency relief

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If you need short term financial assistance to meet your immediate basic needs, then we can help you with Emergency Relief funding for material aid. This includes food vouchers, supermarket vouchers, petrol vouchers and assistance to pay utility bills and other essentials.

First of all, you’ll need to visit one of our offices so we can conduct an assessment of your circumstances and determine how we can assist you.

We provide Emergency Relief funding for individuals and families in times of crisis to meet immediate basic needs. It is short term funding and covers assistance for material items such as:

food vouchers
supermarket vouchers
petrol vouchers
assistance to pay utility bills
other essentials (may vary in nature depending on location)
car registration number (if that’s your primary accomodation)

Eligibility

Anyone who is experiencing financial difficulty due to circumstances or on a low income who is not a mortgage holder and is the recipient of welfare services.

How can I access Emergency Relief funding?

Barwon

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) appointments will be conducted by phone from April until September 2020.

At our Geelong office, we provide emergency relief and short-term assistance to help with immediate basic needs for individuals and families in times of crisis. This includes:

food vouchers
petrol vouchers
assistance to pay utility bills
Referrals to support services as required

Assistance is limited to residents of the following suburbs or postcodes:

3214 Corio
3215 Hamlyn Heights
3216 Belmont
3218 Geelong West

Process of applying for ER:

Appointments must be made with HHS office on 5246 8912
Appointments are available on Wednesdays and Thursdays and will be conducted via phone.
You will be called at the time of your appointment by the Emergency Relief worker.
To access funds clients will be required to provide photo ID, copy of utility bills, invoices (if applicable)
To prepare for your ER appointment please identify any outstanding utility bills and email them to erclient@hhs.org.au
Please ensure both sides of each bill are emailed – ie email the PDF (not a screen shot)
In the email subject line write ‘ER and your name’.

For further information or to book an appointment: