Help of all sorts

By Lia Bichel
ABOUT 100 volunteers, Casey councillors, and Cranbourne Information and Support Service (CISS) employees celebrated 30 years of service at Amberlee Reception on 17 April.
CISS is a community-based information and referral agency which provides residents with a variety of services including crisis intervention, budget counselling, negotiation, advocacy, a share accommodation register, tax help, and a volunteer training program.
Manager Leanne Petrides said the celebration was a prime opportunity to meet up with past volunteers and colleagues to reflect on the how the agency has changed over the past thirty years.
“When we first opened in 1978, CISS was a very small agency, with only about four or five volunteers and no paid staff,” she said. “The agency was opened for a couple of hours a day, a couple days a week, with people stopping in to find out what is going on around town.”
Thirty years later, more than 20 people volunteer at CISS, and a team of fully qualified staff help to deliver a broader range of service beyond information and support.
“We do a lot more crisis intervention; we have a lot of people inquiring about emergency relief support; food, bills, and medical needs. We also have programs such as the no interest loan scheme, and education assistance funds for family school costs,” she said.
“Thirty years ago, if more than five people came through the doors it was a busy day. Now, on a normal day we see about 30 to 50 people.”
Ms Petrides said that due to growing business, CISS was in need of more office space, and was currently consulting with Casey about facilitating an expansion.
“Council is very supportive, because they know the work we do is a crucial part of our community,” she said. “I think it will be a positive step for our future.”