A new Victorian Government funding initiative to assist Council to provide emotional and practical support to residents was announced last month.
The City of Casey will receive funding via the State Government's Community Activation and Social Isolation (CASI) initiative to act as a 'community connector' for people who may be experiencing loneliness or social disconnection as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The CASI initiative will expand the Victorian Coronavirus (COVID-19) hotline (1800 675 398) by partnering with the Australian Red Cross to provide emotional support to those experiencing distress and anxiety. The hotline will also link people in need to 'community connectors'-a local support network who provide practical help, emotional support and assistance with connecting socially online.
The local support network is an evolving piece of work that when complete will be a significant resource to the Casey community. The aim is to identify formal and informal groups within the community.
The community connector network uses a four-tiered approach that links people seeking help to relevant services:
