Grant assists people with disability to find employment

Mawarra Centre in Warragul will receive a $10,000 grant to assist people with a disability gain employment in Black Saturday affected communities.

The grant was included as 25 fire-affected communities received recovery grants totalling $322,871.

Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), thanks to funding from the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund, is supporting the longterm recovery projects.

Mawarra will use its $10,000 grant to engage a consultant to assess the viability of three disability employment enterprises in Gippsland and identify solutions to increase sustainability. The enterprises will work with people with disabilities from fire-af- fected communities.

The resulting reports will inform business planning and implementation as well as decision-making about the future of these enterprises.

Mawarra’s grant was one of six community projects to receive funding totalling $91,435 via the FRRR’s new “Community Group Futures” program.

This program is aimed at local not-for-profit organisations, particularly those that have been leading local recovery efforts since the fires.

In addition, FRRR funded 19 community initiatives totalling $231,436 via its “Resilience and Wellbeing” program to strengthen fire-affected communities.

The diverse projects included equipment for the Boolarra Flora and Fauna Quilting Group, restoration of the Old Boolarra Post Office and restoration of the Grand Strzelecki Track.

FRRR acting CEO Natalie Egleton said the number and breadth of the applications received demonstrates the need for long-term and tailored support for different population groups including children, women and older people, to meet the different needs of communities.

“More than six years on, the needs of communities recovering from the 2009 Victorian bushfires continue to evolve,” said Ms Egleton.

“Both of these programs respond to the issues that have emerged since the fires.”