The Victorian Government established the Community Activation and Social Isolation (CASI) initiative to help people maintain important connections with family, friends and community.
Funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, the initiative helps people build social connections and support networks in their local communities during COVID-19.
Manningham Council is managing this program for our community and partnering with community organisations to provide on-the-ground support.
Residents seeking support can either call the Coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398 or Manningham Council on 9840 9333.
We have an initial phone conversation to confirm the resident’s immediate needs. We then connect the resident with local organisations to support their needs and these could include:
- food relief for people in non-mandatory isolation
- practical help such as shopping, navigating online, run errands, prescriptions etc
- emotional support - daily check ins, psychosocial support friendships or connecting people online with family and friends
- social activities such as online book clubs, learning a new skill, hobby etc.
To date, requests have varied from needing food supplies to more complex needs. We have an amazing group of food relief providers and other organisations in our municipality that we have been working with to support people in these tough times. Many have gone above and beyond to make our residents’ lives easier.
Chris Mountford at Living & Learning @ Ajani sends clients photos of their food pantry, so they can hand pick items based on their family likes and needs. This provides our clients some semblance of control in their lives.
Kellie from Manningham Christian Centre CareNet (MCC CareNet) has gone out of her way to accommodate the needs of a few clients with complex needs.
Our clients have provided feedback on what a difference this service have made in their lives and thanked MCC CareNet and Manningham for providing them with the amazing support.
If you or anyone you know require assistance, call our Community Connect team on 9840 9333 during the hours of 8.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.
