By Mikayla van Loon
Lilydale based Community Information and Support (CIS) Yarra Ranges is offering easy assistance in accessing the power saving bonus initiative from the State government.
CIS Victoria executive officer Kate Wheller said ensuring vulnerable communities receive the support they need is essential to the services the organisation provides.
“Our day to day services are supporting people who are financially and personally in hardship. So it’s really important that within the scope of the work we do, we can offer this kind of support,” she said.
“Energy bills have long been a driver of financial hardship in the communities we work with, so the power saving bonus offers a real incentive for people to have a look at their energy bills to figure out if they’re on the best contracts, move providers if they need to while getting that cash incentive to do so.”
With 31 partner agencies across the sector delivering the $250 power saving bonus, Kate said within the first day 350 people had signed up for the bonus and she expects hundreds of people have since.
Not only does Kate and the team at the CIS Yarra Ranges office in Lilydale hope the bonus can offer some quick relief for people, it can also show them what other supports CIS can provide.
“It’s a really important opportunity for us to have a conversation with someone about their bills, but also more broadly, what’s happening in their life, to look at ways we can support them with other aspects of their daily living as well, so it’s delivering a really practical support,” Kate said.
Volunteers will often start conversations around other offerings like the utility relief grants from the State government but then also more broadly around income support.
“There are already existing supports provided by the State government which are there to support people with utility hardship and not everyone is aware of utility relief grants or concessions and how often they can apply for those kinds of things,” Kate said.
“It’s really important that those elements are part of the conversation but then it’s that broader assessment of what is the person’s situation? Are they renting? Are they in sustainable housing? What income do they receive? Have they got dependent children and/or health issues?
“So looking at their lives more broadly and looking at ways we can provide holistic support to them.”
Coming into winter, Kate said often it’s a case of people deciding whether to “eat or heat” because as awful as it sounds, many “can’t afford to do both”.
Accessing the power saving bonus, acting branch coordinator Zoe said, is as easy as booking an appointment or walking into the office with a copy of a most recent energy bill.
“People come in and they bring in their electricity bill. Generally we use that to start a broader conversation,” she said.
“But for the actual power saving bonus we photocopy it and Sarah or Jade will put their details through to the government and then they get it either by cheque or in their bank account. So it’s a really simple process for both the clients and ourselves.”
Zoe said the service CIS Yarra Ranges is offering also reduces the “digital divide”.
“People who don’t have access to technology or might not have the digital literacy to apply for it themselves online, we’re also addressing that barrier.”
With the cost of living crisis ongoing, Kate said demand for services has increased beyond what they ever expected and it only appears to be getting worse.
“We’ve seen significant increases in the number of people accessing our services between 50 to 80 per cent increase, which is huge,” Kate said.
“The cost of daily living is really hurting people and we are seeing more clients now who haven’t accessed our services before who are experiencing mortgage stress.”
To seek support from CIS Yarra Ranges, contact the office on 03 9735 1311 or visit Wednesday, Thursday or Friday between 10am and 3pm at 214 Main Street Lilydale.
The team will also be holding a community event on 26 April from 10am until 12pm where people can bring their power bills and enjoy some refreshments.
