Bridge Housing Annual Report 2022 - Flipbook - Page 48
SPOTLIGHT
Caring for Community during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on everyone in Australia. The problem is
compounded for people living in social housing, particularly for those living on their own, people who speak
limited English or people with a disability.
We wanted to enhance our existing approach
to tenant wellbeing which includes staff calling
people to go through a checklist that lets us know
if we need to arrange additional support.
We applied for and received a grant through
Multicultural NSW’s COVID-19 Innovation Grants
program which helped us provide additional
support to 178 of our most vulnerable households.
The program assisted people living in the
Cumberland and Canterbury Bankstown Local
Government Areas and was broken into two phases
running between 1 February and 30 April 2022.
In the first phase of the work, we reviewed our
tenancies in the area to determine which tenants
would need additional supports. We prioritised
people living with disabilities, people from
Cultural and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds
and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
After being identified, tenants were contacted
by a specialist housing officer who checked on
their need for additional support and provided
general information about COVID-19 including
vaccinations and advice from NSW Health.
The second phase began with distribution of winter
wellness care packages which included rapid
antigen tests, face masks and information about
COVID-19 and the flu, translated if necessary for all
We endeavour to stay
connected to our tenants
and support them wherever
possible during challenging
times.
44 | Bridge Housing
the people contacted in the first phase. Our team
carried out a second round of wellbeing checks
to people who had demonstrated a need for or
asked for a call back during phase one. These calls
allowed us the opportunity to identify additional
support we could provide including food and
activity vouchers for tenants and their households.
As lockdowns lifted, we were able to change
the focus of the program and bring people back
together. Through a close relationship with
Cumberland Council, a series of bus trips were
organised that gave tenants a fun social event to
get out and enjoy activities with the other members
of their community. A highlight for many tenants
was a boat cruise leaving from Cronulla exploring
Port Hacking and the Royal National Park and a
scenic drive through the Hawkesbury region and
the historic Ebenezer Church.
This program really made a difference to people’s
lives. Our tenants were surveyed at the end of the
program and 100 per cent of respondents told us
that they felt assisted to access local services that
they needed, they felt more empowered to manage
their health and wellbeing and they felt more
empowered to manage the impact of COVID-19 as
a result of engaging with the program.