Citizens escaping domestic violence can receive financial counselling and assistance to help them plan for a new life thanks to a recent boost to local services.
The Multicultural Communities Council of WA (MCCWA) received a grant for their Emergency Relief financial counselling from the City of Armadale.
The MCCWA run services that ensure support for disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals and families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds.
According to MCCWA member Ather Pervaiz, the communities’ council is the leading provider of culturally appropriate, culturally responsive as well as culturally competent services to the Multicultural Communities in Western Australia.
The grant funding received from the City of Armadale will go towards the program the MCCWA runs that assists with financial counselling.
The program provides victims of Domestic Violence the opportunity to organise their finances and create a budget with the assistance of the communities’ council.
“The victim can find it difficult to get out of the trap of financial reliance,” Mr Pervaiz said.
“We started the financial counselling program to help victims without creating a further dependence on us as a financial support.”
City of Armadale Mayor Ruth Butterfield said the MCCWA carries out extremely important work in the community.
“We were very pleased to be able to offer funding for their Multicultural Communities Financial Literacy Program,” Ms Butterfield said.
“The program empowers and assists community members by equipping them with the necessary skills to identify savings goals, and to plan and prepare a household budget.
“We know that this funding will enable the Multicultural Communities Council of WA to continue to assist our community as it recovers from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Other programs run by the council include a mental health education and awareness program, a computer skills course, one for CaLD women health and well-being, and a digital literacy program.
They also run a knit for homeless program as part of the South East Multicultural Women Network where knitters create pieces to be delivered to homeless people during winter.
For more information on the MCCWA email them at admin.mccwa.org.au.