COVID-19 Support for Yass Valley Community Groups

The big news around the Valley last week was that three community groups that provided support programs for vulnerable members of the Yass Valley community during COVID-19 will receive grants of up to $55,000 from the NSW Government.

Yass Valley Council was one of the 36 small, rural councils that received $90,000 under the NSW Government’s “Partnerships: Local Councils Program - Stage 2”. The program, announced in December 2021, was developed to support border local government areas in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister for Local Government and Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman, said the grants recognise the additional challenges Yass Valley faced during the pandemic as a small border community to the ACT.

“Yass Valley experienced resource constraints, isolation of services, the tyranny of distance, border closures and other cross-border impacts last year,” Mrs Tuckerman said.

“Congratulations is in order to both Yass Valley Council for their commitment to continuing to support the community, as well as the local groups who served the area during such unprecedented challenges.”

The local community groups successful in applying for the assistance were:

• headspace Yass - $55,000
• Vine Community Foodcare - $29,500
• Valmar - $5,500

headspace Yass - 2022 Construction Program
headspace Yass provides quality Mental Health, Alcohol and other Drugs, Sexual and Physical health and Vocational support services to young people aged 12 – 25 and also offers support to their family and friends. They are located at 10 Crago Street, Yass.

headspace Yass has partnered with TAFE NSW and Ginninderry’s SPARK Training and Employment Initiative (SPARK) to deliver an accredited training initiative that focuses on developing skillsets for local people in the construction industry. Successful applicants will help build a youth-friendly outdoor area in Yass and obtain nationally-accredited certificates including a Certificate I in Construction. The $55,000 grant will be used to purchase personal protective equipment (i.e., steel-cap boots, high vis shirts, high vis jumpers, work pants, safety glasses, earplugs and gloves) and the materials to create a youth-friendly space.

Vine Community Foodcare - Additional Hampers
Yass Vine Church is located on 11472 Wee Jasper Road, Yass, and has been providing its Vine Community Foodcare service for more than seven years. The volunteer-run service provides groceries, meat, fruit, vegetables and toiletries to people in need in Yass Valley. To date, Vine Community Foodcare has served more than 650 families. The $29,500 grant will allow Vine Community Foodcare to provide more emergency food hampers to families and larger food hampers and toy packages to families at Christmas.

Valmar -Service Delivery Valmar is a leading provider of disability, aged care and community transport services in the ACT, Riverina/Southwest Slopes and Southern Tablelands areas of New South Wales. COVID-19 has had a dramatic and ongoing impact on Valmar’s services in Yass. Valmar has incurred increased costs in relation to personal protective equipment, training, overtime, rapid antigen tests and additional staffing needs. At the same time, Valmar has experienced decreased income and service delivery activity due to lockdowns, restrictions on care services and a reluctance to engage in activities by a large number of clients. The $5,500 grant will help Valmar keep staff on the books in Yass and ensure they are safe to work.

• Topics:

• Community Groups
• Covid-19
• Mental Health & Wellbeing