COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
Zoom meeting to be held on
Wednesday, 6 May 2020 commencing at 2pm
SUPPLEMENTARY ORDER PAPER
7. INFORMATION ITEM
(a) COMMUNITY RESILIENCE FUND (20/381)
Memorandum No. 20/381 dated 5 May 2020 by the Community Funding Advisor 2
Chair’s Recommendation:
“That the Committee notes the contents of the Memorandum.” |
Debbie Hunter
ACTING COMMITTEE ADVISOR
MEMORANDUM 2 06 May 2020
TO: Chair and Members
Community and Environment Committee
FROM: Debbie Hunter
DATE: 05 May 2020
SUBJECT: Community Resilience Fund
That the Committee notes the contents of the Memorandum. |
Purpose of Memorandum
1. To update the Committee of the decisions made by the Community Resilience Panel (the Panel) under the Community Resilience Fund.
Background
2. On Tuesday 24 March 2020, Council resolved to establish a Community Resilience Fund. A budget of $100,000 is available for allocation.
3. At an Extraordinary meeting of Council held on 9 April 2020, members endorsed the Community Resilience Fund Policy (attached as Appendix 1 to the Memorandum). The decisions are by the Chief Executive Officer, General Manager Community and City Services and the Head of Mayor’s Office.
4. The purpose of the funding was to ensure that organisations, groups and initiatives across Lower Hutt are financially supported to deliver services that support local resilience during the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 period and following recovery period.
5. The criteria targets the fund to organisations that are a NGO, registered charity and/or a community group providing community support to others in need to enable and strengthen our communities and improve their well-being during a time of crisis;
6. The fund has an initial cap of up to $2,000 per request. Requests that are more than the initial cap will be considered by exception and may require further documentation.
7. Information about the fund was released on Friday afternoon, 17 April 2020. The fund is being promoted through Council’s website, also Facebook pages. The fund will continuously be open until fully spent. Regular enquiries are being received regarding the fund.
8. Applications are assessed and each organisation is contacted to discuss their application. The Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is also contacted to ensure that there is no duplication of existing funding and service provision.
9. The Panel meets weekly. Organisations are advised on the next working day of the Panel’s decisions so there is a quick turnaround in terms of processing grants.
10. At its meeting held on Friday 24 April 2020, the Panel considered a range of applications relating to food and sanitation packs. The panel agreed that these types of applications should be referred to the Emergency Operations Centre as significant funding is available from central government. Information has been updated on the website to reflect this.
Decisions
11. A total of $8,156 has been allocated by the Panel. Below is an up-to-date list of the organisations that have received funding:
Applicant Name |
Project Description |
Granted |
Taita Pomare Community Trust |
Purchase of a chest freezer to store meat and five chilly bins to be able to transport the frozen meat to their most vulnerable families within the community |
$1,674 |
Whanau Family Support Services |
Purchase of activity packs for their Hutt Valley clients - Grandparents Raising Grandchildren |
$2,000 |
Hutt Union and Community Health Services |
Purchase of iPads for their doctors to be able to offer virtual consultations to their patients at their three clinics |
$2,000 |
Petone Budget Service |
Purchase of cellphone top-ups for their clients |
$500 |
Lower Hutt Women’s Centre |
Purchase of cellphone top-ups, video conferencing licence fee to enable their clients to stay connected with their services |
$632 |
Hutt Time Bank |
For tutor costs to support their clients who are isolated to feel more confident using technology and to use technology to overcome barriers to connecting with others |
$850 |
Central Youth Services Salvation Army |
For the purchase of cellphone top-ups to support Hutt Valley young people with staying connected. |
$500 |
12. Organisations are required to provide a short statement about their initiative including: what they did and how it was delivered; what impact the initiative had; how the grant funds were spent; receipts showing proof of purchase.
13. Council’s website is updated weekly to reflect organisations that have been granted funding.
14. When the Community Resilience Fund was established, reporting was expected to occur through the Council’s Emergency Committee. Due to legislative changes which allow Council meetings to occur virtually, officers proposed reporting through the Community and Environment Committee on a regular basis.
No. |
Title |
Page |
1⇩ |
Appendix 1 - Community Resilience Fund Policy |
5 |
Author: Debbie Hunter
Community Funding Advisor
Approved By: Melanie Laban
Head of Community Projects and Relationships