Around twenty additional financial resilience workers will be engaged across the state to support Queenslanders impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to more than $4 million from the Queensland Government.
Minister for Communities and Housing Leeanne Enoch said the Palaszczuk Government was delivering on its election commitment to fund additional financial resilience workers in high demand communities.
"We know that there are Queenslanders doing it tough financially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic," Ms Enoch said.
"That's why during the 2020 State Election campaign, we made a commitment to provide $4 million for an additional 20 financial resilience workers in some of the hardest hit areas of the state.
"These financial resilience workers will assist Queenslanders who are experiencing financial challenges with services such as financial counselling and assistance to access the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS)."
This initiative will trial a different methodology of service delivery, incorporating sub-contracting with existing services in key locations, or direct employment arrangements.
"By working in partnership with neighbourhood and community centres, we can ensure that these financial resilience workers can help those who need it the most and be guided by the strong local knowledge and contacts of these centres," Ms Enoch said.
Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (Good Shepherd) will work with a number of sector partners over two years, to deliver this financial resilience project.
Ms Enoch said Good Shepherd has worked in the community through partnerships with the Queensland Government, and they are committed to continuing working with partners across the sector to build capacity to support those who need financial resilience services.
"We have a strong relationship with Good Shepherd, who operate and deliver services through its Good Money stores in Cairns and Southport," she said.
"The Good Money stores have been very successful in those communities, and we're looking forward to rolling out some of the services they provide through our financial resilience workers in our neighbourhood and community centres."
Good Shepherd CEO Stella Avramopoulos said Good Shepherd was thrilled to be working with the Queensland Government and sector partners to deliver greater financial inclusion for disadvantaged Queenslanders.
"Financial resilience workers will work with people experiencing hardship to increase skills and capability that will lead to long term financial success," she said.
"The less financial literacy skills someone has the greater risk they have of falling prey to predatory lenders and other unscrupulous practices.
"Too many people fall into a spiral of debt because they don't recognise the pitfalls of predatory lenders whose business model is built on taking advantage of people experiencing hardship.
"Financial resilience workers help people learn these skills, and more, to set themselves up for greater financial security and success."
The financial resilience workers will begin to be rolled out in select neighbourhood and community centres and the Good Money Stores from early 2022.
