You are
unlikely to receive a voucher if you have recently been paid, as this
demonstrates to Council that you have not managed your finances. The
Neighbourhood Centre will offer you assistance with budgeting, conducted in
Roma.
The money
you receive comes from a grant from the Department of Communities, State
Government. It is a wonderful example of how those who are disadvantaged in the
community are assisted when in need.
HOWEVER it
has a couple of flaws. Roma staff don’t know how many of the Mitchell people
work as a community.
For over 2 years
Maranoa and Regional Support Services Inc, who are not assisted through grants
by the Department of Communities or Maranoa Regional Council to support members
of the community have been supplying food vouchers and fuel vouchers to those
in need.
The way it
was done was that if someone in the community were in need, our criteria was
that the person, or someone in their family were to assist MARSS by “working”
off the debt or paying it back when the person next received a payment. (What
goes around comes around)
Paying off
the debt might mean mowing lawns for the elderly, minor repairs, donating excess clothes to be given to others, washing the clothes MARSS gives away to those
in need or selling raffle tickets or number boards. In other words, MARSS
believes that help comes from helping ourselves. This process worked.
What worked
well about this way of assisting the community was that MARSS could then work
with the person or family to make a difference in their lives and to increase
their self esteem and not remove their pride from asking for a handout, because
it wasn’t a hand out, it was a helping hand, that had expectation that the
person would help back – and the majority of people did.
To receive a
voucher from MARSS there was no criteria based on when the person last received
payments as to if they were assisted or not, because MARSS was aware that in
some household an influx of other family members who may suddenly come to town,
become unemployed or any other event could eventuate in a family or person
ending up with extra mouths to feed that they never budgeted for nor expected.
This sudden change in circumstances was not reliant on when a Centrelink payment
came in – it is just called life, and it happens.
MARSS is
situated in the main street of Mitchell, we know most of the people who are
disadvantaged. The volunteers who work there are street wise, they have lived
in poverty, they have or are on pensions, they have seen the rough side of life
and they work there because they want to make a difference in other people’s
lives and their own. All who work for MARSS have been helped by MARSS.
Because
MARSS listened to those who were unemployed, needed housing and knows through
word of mouth what is happening around town we have been able to find full and
part time employment for a number of people. We have accessed housing when the
Neighbourhood Centre couldn’t because we could ask someone who we were aware had
an empty house if they would give someone the opportunity to rent it. Of course
since the flood housing has become almost impossible to find for anyone, let
alone someone who is severely disadvantage.
Because
MARSS food and fuel vouchers were on a payback system, it created a
relationship with people. By giving them something to do, it also reduced a
number of people in the community from dwelling on their misfortune. The office
can often have 10-15 people sharing a cup of coffee and chatting about life, a
form of self help support that gave these people hope, a direction and a
feeling that they were not alone. From listening to these people MARSS staff
were able to direct people to services outside of the MARSS scope – a simple
process that worked and didn’t leave people feeling that they were getting a
handout.
With Council
now taking over the supply of food and fuel vouchers, MARSS management does not
feel that it can continue supplying this service because we do not know who has
been assisted by Council. Though we realise that those we assisted could
payback in some form the assistance they receive from MARSS, it does not give a
true picture of what is needed in this community.
MARSS food
vouchers were an example of how the Mitchell community was working together to
achieve outcomes for people who are disadvantaged. The Council and the
Department of Communities have come to the rescue and provided food and fuel
vouchers that help people who are in need, but they have taken away the
importance of what it means to help people – opportunity to help themselves.
The cost of
the food vouchers to the Maranoa Regional Council exceeds what was spent by
MARSS. Council employs a full time person in Roma, as well as the cost of time to
administer the voucher in Mitchell. MARSS staff are voluntary.
MARSS staff
are on the ground in Mitchell, we don’t operate between 9-5 Monday to Friday.
We have been available to help people at midnight, when they needed to get out
of town because a family member was in critical need in a major hospital on the
coast. The Neighbourhood Centre can’t and won’t do that for the community.
The
providing of the food and fuel vouchers in Mitchell by the Maranoa Council and
the Department of Communities was not done in consultation with organisations
in Mitchell. They never asked, though they were aware of the services MARSS
provided. Council no doubt tendered for the funding, but it costs the tax payer
more than to supply a service that was already happening and working well.
Mitchell people have lost over this decision and all the people of the Maranoa
are paying for this service through their rates and taxes. Well done Department
of Communities and the Maranoa Regional Council!
