By Victoria Stone-Meadows
Casey City Council has voted to increase the funding and support they give to the two Community Information and Support Services (CISS) in the municipality.
The Cranbourne Information and Support Service and the Casey North Information and Support Service will receive a 10 per cent funding boost from council this coming financial year.
Under current CISS funding arrangements, the service providers receive three-year funding outlooks from council with a 5 to 5.5 per cent increase per year.
However, CISS have seen an unprecedented growth in their emergency relief work in the last few years, prompting them to submit a funding increase request.
Cranbourne CISS executive officer Leanne Petrides said they were very happy to hear about the funding and it would allow them to properly provide services to more and more people.
“We were exceptionally pleased to hear that news,” she said.
“We work really closely with the City of Casey on a range of issues and they have always supported us and been vocal about supporting the essential work we do with vulnerable residents.”
Ms Petrides said there were a range of factors that had contributed to an increase in people seeking emergency relief services in the Casey region.
“In the south of Casey, in particular, there is a massive population growth, and we continue to see a high number of people who are suffering from social economic hardship living on very low incomes such as casual wages or Centrelink benefits.”
CISS has found the main reasons people find themselves in economic hardship are paying a percentage of income in housing costs, increase cost of utilities, education medical expenses, and the further out in Casey, the more people are reliant on cars.
At a council meeting on Tuesday 21 March, Casey Council carried a motion that would give the CISSs a 10 per cent funding boost in the first year of the upcoming payment agreement which will last four years.
Under the increased funding arrangement, the Cranbourne CISS will receive $505,000 in the 2017-’18 financial year – a $17,932 increase above the usual 5 per cent annual growth.
The Casey North CISS will receive $599,117 in the 2017-’18 financial year – a $16,656 increase over the usual growth.
The $94,117 discrepancy in between the two service providers is accounted for by the Casey North CISS receiving assistance from council to cover the rental agreement in the building they occupy.
The remaining three years of the funding agreement to the 2020-’21 financial year will revert back to the usual 5 per cent increase per year.
Ms Petrides said the funding increase will enable CISS to keep helping the Casey community.
“The funding from Casey keeps our doors open and able to provide a range of crisis support services to people in our community,” she said.
At the same meeting, council passed a recommendation to extend funding for another year to 14 community service organisations across the municipality.
The recommendation to refer a third year of funding for the Community Services Contribution (CSC) program was passed without comment.
A third year of funding for the CSC program will see council grant a total of $254,370 to various charities and community service providers in Casey and surrounding areas.
