Mental Health Uplift COVID-19 Package
The Mental Health Uplift COVID-19 Package provided funding for Cabrini Outreach, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, and Foundation House to continue supporting people seeking asylum and refugees with essential community services through a range of initiatives (DH: $2.70m over two years).
Cabrini Outreach continued its operations at The Hub facility, which provides specialised mental health services to people seeking asylum with or without a Medicare Card. In 2022–23 The Hub assisted 200 people from multicultural backgrounds who faced social isolation and psychological distress through a multidisciplinary approach. This incorporated services such as triage, psychiatric assessment and management, therapeutic intervention, counselling, referrals, and support.
Funding also allowed the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre to deliver the Homelessness and Basic Needs Response Program. This program addressed issues faced by people seeking asylum who were experiencing or were at risk of homelessness due to financial hardship. In 2022–23 the program supported 58 people and 21 households with rent assistance and 96 people and 57 households with short-term accommodation.
This funding also enabled Foundation House to provide more than 11,000 hours of specialist psychiatric and counselling services for people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds who had experienced torture and trauma.
Priority Response for Multicultural Communities grants program
The Priority Response for Multicultural Communities grants program supported multicultural community organisations to grow, recover and strengthen from the COVID-19 pandemic (DFFH: $2.40m in 2022–23). In 2022–23, 77 multicultural and faith organisations received funding to strengthen their workforce through professional development programs and jobs training. This program was established in August 2020 to respond to the increasing need for community-led support beyond the immediate emergency response to the pandemic.
COVID-19 Community Grants Program
The Department of Health’s (DH) COVID-19 Community Grants Program funded 51 community organisations in 2022–23 to support their communities with information about testing, vaccinations, and access to COVID-19 medication (DH: $1.42m in 2022–23). These organisations successfully reached 31 priority language groups and encouraged behaviour change towards COVID-19 vaccinations, testing and safe social engagement. The program also increased third-dose vaccination rates in 30 out of 31 priority language groups. Eighty per cent of community leaders who took part in program activities reported feeling more confident in their COVID-19 vaccination and protection knowledge.
Northern Community Support Group
Located in the northern suburbs of metropolitan Melbourne, the Northern Community Support Group distributed accurate COVID-19 messaging consistent with the government’s public health advice to address common misinformation and vaccine hesitancy (DJCS: $1.50m in 2022–23). Through its two project sites at the Multicultural Youth Centre and Preston Mosque, the group also ensured the community remained connected through providing emergency food relief.
CALD Outreach Initiative
The CALD Outreach Initiative funded the Municipal Association of Victoria and 19 local councils to employ multicultural outreach workers to work directly with culturally diverse families and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services (DE: $1.48m in 2022–23). Outreach workers focused on addressing barriers to participation in kindergarten that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They supported families and young children to take part in early childhood services and to transition to school. Outreach workers also supported families with kindergarten registration and enrolment, provided advice to ECEC educators, and increased awareness about eligibility for Early Start Kindergarten for children from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.
Small Business Victoria CALD and Aboriginal Engagement
The Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions’ (DJSIR) Small Business Victoria CALD and Aboriginal Engagement team provided a dedicated service to improve access and uptake of government business services, supports and programs by Victoria’s multicultural businesses (DJSIR: $0.90m in 2022–23). In 2022–23 the team engaged with 1,774 multicultural small businesses and 207 business organisations, delivering 52 in-person and virtual business forums in six languages. The forums attracted 53,292 views online.
Family Learning Support Program
The Department of Education (DE) funded the Brotherhood of St Laurence to continue delivering the Family Learning Support Program. This program offers intensive outreach support to families and children with culturally diverse backgrounds living in public housing sites (DE: $0.40m in 2022–23). The program employed bicultural workers to apply their cultural knowledge, language skills, lived experience and community connections to link these families with ECEC services and to support transitions to school. They also circulated key COVID-19 health and vaccination messages and helped facilitate social connectedness in the community to reduce COVID-related stress and isolation.
International Education Resilience Fund
The International Education Resilience Fund supported 10 Victorian universities to maintain their international education programs and support their international students following significant disruption to the international education sector (DJSIR: $0.20m in 2022–23). In 2022–23 the fund provided enhanced mental health and employment support for students most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding also supported international students through rising cost-of-living pressures by providing emergency aid bursaries and food vouchers.
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