Community and Business Support Grant Program
Council has made a total funding pool of almost $1 million available, to help the community and local businesses continue to thrive during COVID-19 and beyond.
There are a number of grants targeted towards community groups, to ensure those providing critical support services within Frankston City can continue to do so.
View the full grant options available for not-for-profit and charitable organisations
Council $6.434 million Relief and Recovery Package
Council is delivering a Relief and Recovery Package as part of our Annual Budget 2020–2021, tailored to help individuals, community groups and business through COVID-19.
Supporting Communities
Many Council services form a critical part of our community: keeping people connected, informed and supported. With many of these services temporarily closed or otherwise impacted, we are providing the funds to ensure continue our tradition of community support.The Relief and Recovery Package includes, but is not limited to:
- Repurposing and expanding our community grants pool to $500,000
- $150,000 waiver of tenancy and ground allocation fees for local sporting clubs until at least September
- $75,000 invested in our customer service channels, to ensure our community can reach us easily any time they need
- Continuing to support of critical library services, with free online borrowing, an expanded collection of e-resources alongside live streaming of events such as story time and author talks via our social media pages
- $20,000 for the creation of an arts collective encouraging artists, writers and film makers to create stories, short films and to capture imagery for a community reflection piece
- A further $50,000 to develop a creative industries and arts grant program
- Saving our local RSL’s an extra $7,000 by waiving maintenance fees for the next 12 months
Read the Council's Relief and Recovery Package summary.
Read the breakdown of how the package will help individuals, community groups and businesses.
Community Recovery Call Centre
Council launched the call centre referral service in April, to help impacted residents navigate and connect with the services and resources they need to recover from COVID-19. Council staff are here to help, referring residents and businesses to support services suited to their current needs.in
If you need help finding the right support, phone: 1300 322 322 and ask to be referred to the Community Recovery Call Centre. The centre is open Monday-Friday, 8.30am-5pm.
Community information and support services directory
Frankston City Council has created a directory to assist the community to locate support services which are available during these unprecedented times.
The directory lists local, state and national agencies and community organisations who offer a range of services including financial and legal assistance, health and wellbeing support, food relief, housing and tenancy assistance and more. Please find the directory under related documents.
New support for Victorian communities to stay connected
The Victorian Government is helping communities to stay connected during the coronavirus pandemic through a new grants program to support local initiatives.
Minister for Suburban Development Shaun Leane and Minister for Regional Development Jaclyn Symes today announced the opening of applications for the Let’s Stay Connected Fund, with grants available for community organisations, local government bodies, incorporated not-for-profits and industry groups.
Grants of between $5,000 and $200,000 are available to support innovative, community-based initiatives that build connection, reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation and that can be implemented quickly – providing much-needed support across the state.
The $1.3 million fund could potentially help community groups continue to operate by adapting the way they deliver programs or events, including through online forums.
Other possibilities include support for communities to improve their digital skills and access online communication channels, or new ways for people to continue volunteering within their communities while maintaining physical distancing requirements.
Victoria Together offers a vast range of resources, also including children’s activities, live streaming from the Melbourne Zoo, exercise advice and recipes.
Applications for the Let’s Stay Connected Fund are open until 31 August and applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible at djpr.vic.gov.au/lets-stay-connected.
Supporting vulnerable members of our community
During times of crisis or emergency, it is the vulnerable members of our community who are often most impacted, including the elderly and people with disabilities.
Council is asking all members of the Frankston City community to check in on anyone who is living alone, is elderly or who has special needs. It is everyone’s responsibility to make sure vulnerable neighbours, friends and family are well taken care of until the immediate threat passes.
Care packages
Victorians in mandatory self-isolation running short on food and unable to have any dropped-off by friends are now eligible for a food and personal care package, with a two weeks' supply of items like long-life milk, pasta, canned fruit, cereal and sugar, as well as some personal care items. People wishing to request a pack should phone Victoria’s dedicated Coronavirus hotline:1800 675 398
Food Donation Bins
Council will be managing several food donation bins across the municipality. The following locations have bins in place:
- Coles inside the Karingal Village Shopping Centre, 110 Ashley Avenue, Frankston
- Coles inside the Gateway Shopping Centre - 230 Cranbourne-Frankston Road, Langwarrin
- Ritchies IGA - 280 Seaford Road, Seaford (corner Seaford Road and Frankston-Dandenong Highway)
- Coles – 335 Ballarto Road, Carrum Downs
Community members with the ability to spare any extra packaged long-life food items are encouraged to drop these into the bins. Please keep in mind the current COVID-19 restrictions for physical distancing and only drop packaged long-life food items when attending the shopping centres for the purpose of getting food and essential supplies. Please only donate packaged, long-life food items such as canned food (ring pull preferred) and packets of pasta. Strictly no fresh food, items with a short shelf life or any other non-food items can be left in the donations bins.
Council officers will be regularly collecting the items from the donations bins so they can be passed on to locals in need.
Finding Healthy Food in Frankston City
In conjunction with Peninsula Health, Council have compiled a resource to help our communities find healthy food during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access it here (9MB).
The resource provides local and current information on:
- Safely shopping for food
- Alternatives to shopping at supermarkets
- Online food subscriptions
- How to grow your own food
- Community gardens
- Emergency food relief
- Donating to charities
- What to do with excess food
- Bulk cook-ups
- Reducing food costs
- Substitutions for common foods
- Food handling and safety
People with disabilities
People with disability face unique challenges during this epidemic. People with Disabilities Australia are updating their website regularly to collate information and resources as well as updates on their work advocating for the needs and rights of people with disability at all levels throughout the crisis.
People with intellectual disabilities, low literacy and people from CALD communities may find the Access Easy English website helpful with explaining COVID-19 and surrounding restrictions.
People can contact the Disability Information Helpline on 1800 643 787 to talk about their concerns in relation to COVID-19. For example, people can call the Helpline if their support worker has not turned up or their provider has stopped services; or if it’s hard to get essential items like food or medications.
Further information and assistance for people with disabilities.
If you require in home support services or community access please contact our Family Health Support Service Intake Officer on 9784 1933 to discuss your needs.
Council support services
Council’s Community Care Team is working hard to ensure our usual support for vulnerable communities remains unchanged. The team is also adapting and increasing support where required. Community Care staff will be identifying the more vulnerable clients within our service and making phone contact with these clients between services to ensure their wellbeing.
Community Care is currently supporting clients as usual with In Home Services, including:
- Domestic assistance
- Personal care (including showers and shopping)
- Respite care
- Meals on Wheels
Direct Care staff supporting in the home are being updated to any changes through their Team Leader, to ensure they are informed and able to support their clients.
Volunteers supporting Meals on Wheels have been provided with current information and are supported by informed staff in managing meal delivery, so this critical service continues to support our community ongoing.
We have also provided Direct Care staff and volunteers with links to valuable learning tools to support carers in their role. All carers and clients are encouraged to call the office if they have any queries regarding In Home Services. For any significant changes to clients care needs, phone: MyAgedCare 1800 200 422.
Changes to our regular support services
We are accommodating changes to our assisted shopping service, where clients are finding it difficult to source essential items.
Some clients have needed to change their usual shopping schedules, to fit in with new allocated supermarkets’ opening times for older residents and residents with disabilities.
Suspended services
Planned Activity Group (PAG) programs and Community Bus (CB) have been suspended. Community Care has been able to support clients to find alternative options if needed, so that no clients have been compromised through this change.
We have also received some service cancellations, where clients choose to manage themselves or have family support while social distancing is in place or a client feels at risk if interacting within the community.
Local community support organisations
Frankston City’s community support and charity organisations are continuing to operate as much as possible, however they too are working at reduced capacity to stop the spread of the virus.
These organisations are mostly staffed by volunteers and we ask that to avoid overwhelming smaller local services you direct all queries via the DHHS hotline or website where possible. See below.
Key resources
Council’s Community Care Team is currently being guided by Council’s Council Emergency Management Team, Department of Health and Human Services.
For general information and advice on coronavirus, particularly if you suspect you have symptoms, phone the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) direct support line: 1800 020 080. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Family Violence Support Services
We all deserve to feel safe. As a community there is help, advice and resources for anyone in need. If you are in immediate danger call 000.
If you are experiencing family violence or know someone that is, there is help available:
Life Supports
Life Supports is a national network of counsellors and psychologists. You can find out more about our service at www.lifesupportcounselling.com.au.
You may have experienced varying impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Hypervigilance and fear about the risk of becoming infected or transmitting the virus to vulnerable family members
- Distress about the prospect of extended periods of enforced lockdown – particularly acute for those with pre-existing mental health conditions
- Financial and family fears: concern about personal finances, ongoing employment outcomes, access to essential goods and medicines, education and childcare, small business impact, and uncertainty around the economy at large
- Increasing levels of conflict within relationships and families during periods of self-isolation
- Increased domestic violence presentations
- Parents seeking guidance on how to talk to their children about COVID-19 and manage periods of self-isolation
- Anxious behaviour related to obsessive monitoring of news and social media platforms
- Uncertainty around how to manage the different messages being given about COVID-19
Life Supports has adapted our service to make our 200 counsellors and psychologists available to support clients via phone and telehealth platforms.
Life Supports provides services 7 days a week and will provide services throughout the impact of COVID-19. Our intake line is open 8:00 am till 8:00 pm weekdays and 9:00 am till 5:30 pm weekends.
Online and phone counselling services are bulk-billed throughout the impact of COVID-19.
Reach out to your neighbour
You can still reach out to your neighbours while observing social distancing protocol. If you believe there my be someone living nearby who is isolated or otherwise vulnerable, register to receive a bundle of our Hi Neighbour cards.
Simply fill the card out and pop them in the letterbox.
Register to receive Hi Neighbour cards
Download a Hi Neighbour card(PDF, 4MB)