Renting privately in the ACT and struggling financially? Care is administering the ACT Government's Rent Relief Program - click for more info
COVID-19 service update and support
Care's services are available in person and via, Phone, Zoom or MS Teams appointments in accordance with the latest ACT Government health guidelines. If you are experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, please be assured you are not alone and Care is here to provide you with information, support and advice relating to your financial health and well-being.
Care Financial Counselling
The Care Financial Counselling team are available to talk to you if you have been impacted as a result of COVID-19. Financial counsellors can talk to you confidentially about options including financial hardship arrangements with your creditors, energy and telco providers as well as with landlords. Financial counsellors can also discuss crisis payments and other emergency relief supports that you could be eligible for.
How to get in touch:
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Contact Care Financial Counselling by calling the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007. You can also email admin@carefcs.org.
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You can also speak to a financial counsellor via the live chat feature on ndh.org.au.
Appointments:
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Appointments can be scheduled in person or via phone or online platforms (MS Teams, Zoom).
After hours (by appointment):
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If you are unable to call us during office hours, we are running our After-Hours appointments on Wednesday afternoons for short appointments from 4:30pm-6:30pm.
Click here for more information on Care's Financial Counselling Program
Care Consumer Law
Care Consumer Law will continue to provide appointments via phone or online during business hours (9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday).
How to get in touch:
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Contact Care Consumer Law by calling 02 6143 0044. You can also email clc.admin@carefcs.org.
Appointments:
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Appointments can be scheduled via phone or online platforms (MS Teams, Zoom).
Wednesday night clinics.
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Our Wednesday night clinics have resumed. Appointments can be made available (subject to demand) between 5:30-7:30pm. This will be available only in accordance with ACT government and health advice. If you require an afterhours appointment, contact our admin line on 02 6143 0044.
Care Community Loans
Care Community Loans provides 0% interest loans for people on low to moderate incomes. These loans are up to $1500 and can be used to pay for essential household items, whitegoods and electronic devices, car related expenses, medical and dental costs, educational expenses and more!
Care Community Loans will also be expanding the scope of its 0% interest loan program to provide loans that can be used for short term COVID-19 support. If your income has been impacted or disrupted by the ACT lockdown, you may be able to access a 0% interest loan for short term support for rent, bills and other essential household items. Eligibility will be assessed on a case by case basis and is specifically targeted to individuals who had a regular income before the ACT lockdown. Care will also work to facilitate flexible application processes and prioritise people who are impacted by COVID-19
If you have left a domestic and family violence situation, Care also provides a specialist microfinance program called Assistance Beyond Crisis (ABC loans).
How to get in touch:
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Contact Care Community Loans by calling 02 6257 1788. You can also email microfinance.admin@carefcs.org.
Click here for more information on Care's Community Loans program.
Care Community Education
Care Community Education is looking to provide workshops and outreach this year. These will be provided following the guidelines and advice from ACT Government and COVID-19 safety plans.
Our Energy Support Voucher Program is still operating phone and online appointments to help anyone experiencing energy stress. To date, the program has delivered over 3,000 vouchers to Canberra households.
How to get in touch:
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Contact Care Community Education by calling 02 6257 1788. You can also email education@carefcs.org.
Appointments:
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Appointments can be scheduled via phone, online platforms (MS Teams, Zoom), or face-to-face.
Click here for more information on Care's Community Education program.
Communicating with your creditors
Credit providers are required by law to offer customers some assistance. To find your bank's contact details and understand what options are available, use the following link to the Australian Banking Association's financial assistance hub Financial Assistance Hub - Australian Banking Association (ausbanking.org.au)
You can also refer to Care Consumer Law's suite of COVID-19 fact sheets that provide information about consumer credit and consumer law rights, including how to negotiate with creditors.
More COVID-19 Support
COVID-19 Disaster Payments
Information about the COVID-19 disaster payment, including eligibility can be found by clicking here.
The ACT Government is providing a range of support to local business and industry. Find out more by clicking here.
Emergency relief and food parcels
The ACT Government has information about accessing emergency food relief during lockdowns especially for those in quarantine. Find out more by clicking here.
A comprehensive list of other social services can be found here.
Staying safe at home
If you, or those you care for, are in danger due to domestic and family violence - call police on 000. If you need to do safety planning to keep yourself safe call the Domestic Violence Crisis Service 24/7 crisis line on
02 6280 0900. More information can be found here.
Support for Canberrans experiencing or at risk of homelessness
Onelink provides information and support services in the ACT including options during this lockdown period. For more information call OneLink on
1800 176 468 or visit their website.
