ECHO Youth Services will be able to better prepare for disasters thanks to a helping hand from the State Government.
Echo Youth Services received $38,000 from the Victorian Government’s $1.5million Resilient Community Program. The grant will fund the volunteer-driven Emerald Community Resilience and Recovery Project.
Gembrook MP Brad Battin said the $51,525 Emerald Community Resilience and Recovery project would also conduct resilience training for community volunteers to provide co-ordinated support immediately after a disaster and in the longer-term recovery process.
“Echo has been working with St Mark’s Church to establish a trained group of volunteers who can quickly respond to community needs in the event of a disaster. These volunteers will help plug the gap by assisting local residents immediately after a disaster, before other agencies are traditionally able to respond,” Mr Battin said.
“This could be in the form of a temporary community hub where residents can seek information, support and assistance with immediate physical needs – trained local volunteers would be able to provide this service very soon after a disaster.”
ECHO was one of 12 funding recipients to receive a total of $756,112 from the second and final round of the program, which has now funded 20 projects in high-risk communities across the state.
The Resilient Community Program enables communities to take an active role in emergency management through local projects, delivering flexible and networked responses across all hazards and all agencies, according to Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan.
“Our funding is helping communities fully understand local risks and improve their own capacity to tackle and recover from all hazards,” Mr Ryan said.
“Funded projects are building community confidence to share the responsibility of handling emergencies, with the government, emergency management agencies, and community and business sectors.”
Mr Ryan said the Resilient Community Program was funded through the $1billion Regional Growth Fund, which was investing in community-led projects to strategically drive jobs, investment and innovation in rural and regional Victoria.
