Feed Geelong: Accessing food during COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 crisis in our region, the project has responded by increasing the provision of food assistance to people experiencing hardship, as well as assisting community to better connect with support. The Give Where You Live Foundation operates in Victoria in Australia which has experienced some of the strictest and tightest lockdown requirements across the globe, as we sought to gain control of the COVID-19 outbreak in our community.

Since Nov 2021, restrictions have slowly eased as the vaccine rollout across Victoria proceeded. Whilst the outlook is positive to reopening and learning to “live with COIVD-19” the long term impacts of the past two years remain significant. The region continues to experience the impact of economic downturn and subsequent loss of jobs, with some industries (notably the tourism and hospitality sector) struggling to recover. In addition, we continue to see the long term effects on school engagement and mental health, and across the Geelong region have seen increasing property and rental prices as we see a significant population shift with people moving out of larger city centres post years of lockdown.

With the ongoing challenges being experienced across the community, the food relief sector continues to experience high levels of demand, with this increasing becoming the new normal and unlikely to change in the short term. Since November 2021 the Give Where You Live Foundation has continued to provide support in a number of ways:

• Continued collation and publication of information on where people can access food relief across our region: https://www.feedgeelong.com.au/where-can-i-eat

• Redevelopment and expansion of our food relief and material aid voucher program to better support the needs of community and increase funding to where it is needed most (information below). Providing over 3000 vouchers (totalling $75,700) to assist community members in crisis.

• Extended our social media campaign to promote food relief agencies available across our region, and also other critical services, over the Christmas period Give Where You Live Foundation continues to monitor the current situation and needs of community, and adapt our response to better meet the increase demand at this time.

You can find out more about the impact of COVID-19 on the local food relief sector here: https://www.feedgeelong.org.au/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Food-for-Thought-August-2021.pdf

Community Choice vouchers:

The Give Where You Live Foundation has been delivering an emergency relief voucher program since the Pyramid Building Society collapse in 1990. This crisis decimated savings across Geelong leaving many struggling with debt and financial loss. In response to this increasing need across the region, the Foundation developed the Direct Assistance Voucher Program. This program, still running today, provides access to basic necessities (like food, material aid, and support for prescriptions) to people experiencing crisis across our region.

The Foundation distributes around $130,000 annually through this program, supporting over 7,500 people annually. These vouchers give people in our community access to essentials, like food from the Geelong Food Relief Centre, prescription medications from local partner pharmacies, furniture from Encompass Homestart, and work clothing from Encompass Ready Start. Basically, the stuff we all need, but sometimes take for granted.

In 2021, the Foundation was able to further strengthen and expand this program to what it is now known today, the Community Choice initiative. Community Choice has evolved the voucher program to create greater choice, diversity, and access to emergency assistance. Ultimately handing that choice and control back to the members of our community who are seeking help. Just prior to Christmas we were able to distribute a further 4860 vouchers (totalling $122,00) to assist people in crisis.

Community stories:

Story 1: The young person was successful in securing a one-bedroom social housing via Unison. The young person experiences significant anxiety and depression alongside a history of complex trauma. The young person was provided with a Feed Me Right food pack upon commencement of her lease as well as some assistance which enabled her to purchase food that was culturally appropriate and important to her. Having access to culturally relevant food has had a positive impact on her mental health.

Story 2: The young person experiencing chronic homelessness, including long term emergency accommodation during COVID-19. The young person was provided with assistance over a period of approx. 4 months whilst in emergency accommodation. This enabled the young person, with the support of case management, to have access to food whilst predominately focussing on other complex factors that led to and compounded her experiences of homelessness. This includes the young person's intellectual disability, multifaceted and deep-rooted family dynamics, loss and grief, trauma, mental health and links to supports to reduce/refrain from substance misuse.