Emergency Relief is the provision of financial or material assistance to people experiencing a financial crisis. Individuals or families may access emergency relief to help them through a ‘one-off’ episode; while for others, emergency relief becomes part of their experience of dealing with ongoing financial disadvantage. The aim of emergency relief is to assist people experiencing financial crisis in a way that maintains dignity and fosters empowerment.
Assistance usually comprises:
More than 300 agencies and their outlets across the state.
Funding from State and Federal Government Departments, agency revenue, philanthropic sources and public donations.
Supported by both paid workers and volunteer providers.
Providers range from small volunteer run services to large multi-program organisations.
The Community Relief and Resilience Program exists to coordinate policy and sector support to services who provide material and financial assistance to people living in hardship in Western Australia.
The Program aims to:
If you are a volunteer or provider of emergency relief or charity food services, visit the CRR Sector Hub to access free resources and be part of the network of community organisations supporting individuals and families in Western Australia.
Through the Program WACOSS lead collective policy and advocacy to improve outcomes for the community relief and resilience sector and people accessing these services. Committees such as the State Emergency Relief Committee and Fair Food WA advise WACOSS of issues impacting the sector and what changes are needed to address policy, funding and systems challenges. A range of relevant submissions are available in the WACOSS Policy Library.
The Community Relief and Resilience Program and Forum would not be possible without the generous support of Lotterywest.