New whitegoods for crisis accommodation

A successful grant to replace fridges and washing machines in crisis accommodation throughout Bundaberg and Hervey Bay will mean more funding can be diverted to frontline services.

Federal Member for Hinkler Keith Pitt congratulated Regional Housing Limited which received $17,500 under round three of the Stronger Communities Program.

“The current whitegoods are in need of replacement and are worn due to the high turnover of households in crisis accommodation, and Regional Housing receives no operations funding to maintain whitegoods,” Mr Pitt said.

“Crisis accommodation is unfurnished and many households don’t have the financial capacity to purchase these items when needed due to their situation.

“The Stronger Communities Program has been a boost for community groups and organisations like Regional Housing that would otherwise struggle to fund these types of projects.”

Regional Housing Southern Area Manager Peter Meier said having the ability to provide whitegoods in crisis accommodation assists in reducing stress to households who are already experiencing high anxiety due to their current situation.

“Having access to adequate refrigeration and washing machines makes a significant difference to the lives of families in need,” Mr Meier said.

“For someone escaping domestic violence or sleeping rough, this is one less barrier to overcome, allowing the household to focus on improving their lifestyle, resulting in greater community participation, with children attending school in clean uniforms giving a feeling of pride and wellbeing.”

Any whitegoods that are still serviceable will be either moved into some of the 431 transitional or long term properties as families exit from crisis housing or donated to charity.

Since July 2017 Regional Housing Limited has received on average 22 requests for crisis accommodation per month, and houses an average of 112 households in crisis accommodation annually.

The Stronger Communities Program offered eligible community groups grants of between $5,000 and $20,000 for small capital projects. All applications need to commit at least matching funding or in-kind contributions.