Waroona Community Resource Centre receives critical funding for emergency relief from Lotterywest

For those needing financial help, support can be a critical lifeline.

Thanks to a grant from Lotterywest, the Waroona Community Resource Centre is able to keep offering emergency funding to people in crisis.

The organisation received $25,000 in Emergency Relief Grant funding, which will allow the CRC to continue its more than a decade of providing families and individuals with assistance through referral pathways and consultations with family support officers.

Centre manager Stuart Macdonald said as the cost of living had gone up, so too had applications for emergency funding..

“Over the past year the distribution of funding has had an increase in applications from the Peel and South West areas,” he said.

“The main increase in demand is supplying emergency food packages and financial assistance in other key daily requirements, as the price of the most basic necessities continually increases as inflation affects more people.”

Mr Macdonald said the centre helped 499 individuals and families last year alone.

“The demographics have gone from 60 to 69-year-olds requesting help financially, to 40 to 69-year-olds, because of the impact of inflation,” he said.

“It’s not just Waroona; it’s people from Pinjarra, Waroona, Yarloop, Harvey, Lake Clifton and Preston Beach areas all needing assistance.”

Mr Macdonald said Lotterywest support was “critical” and without it the CRC would not be able to continue supporting the community.

“They are the only people we apply to and they have been so supportive,” he said.

With the possibility of St Vincent de Paul leaving Waroona, the CRC could be left as the only organisation in town able to help people in need.

Mr Macdonald said the continued support was more relevant than ever with the potential Vinnies departure and encouraged anyone needing support to contact the CRC’s Family Support Services.

“We have got an amazing collaboration of specialty services here,” he said.

“Everything from psychological help, financial help, domestic violence and legal trouble, so everything is here.”

For more information, visit waroonacrc.com.au.