Skip to content

Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Communities

Community Support

The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) works in partnership with other government and non-government organisations in the management of a diverse range of programs and services designed to support and improve the lives of Australians and build socially inclusive communities. FaHCSIA supports disadvantaged communities and those at risk of 'crisis', by targeting community-based programs to areas of high disadvantage. The Department develops policies and programs to:


Key Activities


Social Inclusion Agenda
The Department is now calling for comment on the development of a national compact between the Australian Government and the not-for-profit sector.

Local Answers
Through its Local Answers program, FaHCSIA supports organisations to develop and implement local, small-scale, time-limited projects that support families and children, foster proactivity in communities and build community resilience.

Communities for Children
Communities for Children is a place-based early intervention and prevention approach to child protection and development.

Early Childhood - Invest to Grow
Early Childhood - Invest to Grow provides funding for early childhood programs and resources.

Volunteering
FaHCSIA funds a number of programs to assist the work of volunteers.

National Compact with the Not-For-Profit Sector
The National Compact with the Not-For-Profit Sector aims to develop effective relationships between the Government and the sector to build social inclusion and ensure consistency of treatment across government agencies and departments.

Register of Harm Prevention Charitable Institutions
The objective of the Harm Prevention Charitable Institutions Register is to assist harm prevention charities to obtain financial support from the community for use in the promotion of the prevention or the control of behaviour that is harmful or abusive to human beings by providing a tax incentive mechanism for the community to donate to those charities.

Emergency Relief
FaHCSIA administers the Australian Government's Emergency Relief funding to provide emergency assistance, such as food, part payment of outstanding accounts and material items, to people who are experiencing financial difficulty.

Commonwealth Financial Counselling
FaHCSIA administers Commonwealth Financial Counselling, a service that provides free financial counselling to people who are experiencing personal financial difficulties due to circumstances such as unemployment, sickness, credit over-commitment and family breakdown.

National Information Centre on Retirement Investments
The National Information Centre on Retirement Investments (NICRI) is an independent organisation funded by FaHCSIA to provide free information on planning and advice for retirement, investment options and effective use of financial resources in retirement.

Indigenous Money Management
FaHCSIA has a number of services to help Indigenous people develop their money management skills and support economic and social participation, including home ownership. These services include MoneyBusiness and Family Income Management (FIM). The National Indigenous Money Management Agenda (NIMMA) focuses on appropriate financial services and products for Indigenous people and improved money management skills.

Problem Gambling
FaHCSIA collaborates with key stakeholders, including state and territory governments, to research and develop an understanding of the negative impacts of problem gambling. The National Framework on Problem Gambling 2004-2008 aims to minimise the negative consequences of problem gambling to the individual, their family and the community through a national approach.

Business Continuity and Pandemic Planning
FaHCSIA has developed a Business Continuity Kit for Non-Government Organisations entitled Being Prepared – Pandemic Planning Tools for Non-Government Organisations to assist community organisations prepare pandemic and business continuity plans. These plans will help community organisations mitigate the adverse community and social impacts of a potential human influenza pandemic or other crises/disasters.

Disaster Assistance
FaHCSIA manages the Australian Government's Disaster Assist website, set up to give individuals and families access to the latest information about recovery assistance following a disaster. Previous assistance measures are also listed on the Disaster Assist website.

Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP)
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment provides immediate, one-off financial assistance to help Australians adversely affected by major disasters. The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, in consultation with the Prime Minister, may make the payment available taking into account the number of individuals affected, the extent to which the disaster is unusual, the impact of the disaster on individuals and whether an additional Australian Government response is required. This is a one-off, not a continuing payment. Claims for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment can be lodged with Centrelink.

Reconnecting People Assistance Package
The Reconnecting People Assistance Package provides assistance to people who have been adversely affected as a direct result of their inappropriate immigration detention within Australia. You can download the Reconnecting People Assistance Package - Request for Assistance application form from this website.

Community Portal
FaHCSIA manages community.gov.au, a gateway to web-based information relevant to individuals and community organisations across Australia.

National Secretariat Program (NSP)
FaHCSIA manages and administers funds for the National Secretariat Program (NSP), a program that provides financial support for peak bodies to allow them to contribute to government policy and service delivery, and communicate government information to their memberships.