Latrobe Valley residents affected by the 2014 summer fires will benefit from long-term support programs aided by an additional $673,500 in State Government funding.
Member for Morwell Russell Northe said the services to be provided include individual and family counselling; case support; the appointment of community development and recovery officers; the funding of community capacity building initiatives; and local government recovery support.
“The funding will enable agencies to tailor their programs to meet the needs of people following a disaster, develop recovery plans and activities and build a resilient community going forward,” Mr Northe said.
“Morwell will receive an extra $673,500 to progress its longer-term recovery, which is in addition to the $2 million clean-up package and $2 million in grants for the Morwell Business Relief Fund announced by the Victorian Government in April.”
A spokesperson for Mr Northe said the funding would be administered by Latrobe City Council and the Department of Human Services and support a number of roles that would be determined on an as-needed basis.
Mr Northe said the programs in recovery and community development and effective community engagement had been developed based on the experiences and learnings from the 2009 bushfires, 2011 Queensland flood and cyclone recovery and 2011 New Zealand earthquake recovery programs.
