Supporting culturally diverse seniors
The Victorian government is enabling isolated seniors from diverse cultural backgrounds to participate in their communities, with $336,000 in new grants.
Neil Angus MP with Crossway Baptist Church's Pastor Sherman Huang.
The grants represent the fourth round of the Participation for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Seniors Grants Program, which aims to boost social participation opportunities for isolated older people from CALD backgrounds.
Visiting UnitingCare East Burwood Centre in Melbourne's suburb of Burwood East, Neil Angus MP, State Member for Forest Hill, congratulated the service agency on its successful grant from the third round of the Participation for CALD Seniors Grants Program.
“The Napthine Government is delivering on its election commitment of $1.6 million over four years for the Participation for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Seniors Grants Program,” Mr Angus says.
“The program has already funded hundreds of projects that help isolated senior Victorians from CALD backgrounds to connect to existing or new support networks and activities. I am pleased to congratulate UnitingCare East Burwood Centre on its successful $10,000 grant which will fund its Making Positive Connections project,” he says.
According to Mr Angus, the project will provide transport for CALD seniors to and from the centre for regular activities and information sessions, along with home visits.
“This year the number of ethnic groups who will be assisted has increased, with a number of successful applications focusing on multi-ethnic projects and new and emerging communities, such as the Crossway Care Asian Seniors project managed by Crossway Baptist Church in Burwood East.
“I also extend my congratulations to Crossway on its successful $4,000 grant, which will also fund transport for local CALD seniors to and from Crossway and to special places of interest,” Mr Angus says.
He claims social inclusion is crucial to ageing well and evidence shows that older people from CALD backgrounds can face a higher risk of social isolation.
“I encourage any seniors groups or community organisations in the Forest Hill electorate which support seniors from multicultural communities to apply for a grant from the fourth round,” he says.
Australian Institute for Health and Welfare data shows nearly one third of all Victorians over 65 years are from a CALD background.
Eligible organisations such as local councils, seniors clubs, ethnic community groups, migrant resource centres, neighbourhood houses and aged care facilities are invited to apply for funding up to $10,000.
The fourth round of grants is open until Friday, 30 January 2015. Guidelines, application forms, and other information are available at www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au. For more information or additional support, contact the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria on (03) 9349 4122.
