Community Recovery Grants – Essential Services Hardship Assistance

This program aims to support people directly impacted by a disaster to meet their immediate needs where they have experienced loss of one or more essential services for more than five days.

Grants of up to $150 per person, to a maximum of $750 for a family of five or more, are available.

The grant is not income or asset tested. It is initially available to claim for seven days following the activation of the grant in the claimant's area.

Eligible applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
- The principal place of residence must be in the activated financial assistance disaster area and loss of power is confirmed by the energy provider.
- Be directly impacted by the loss of one or more essential services for more than five days as a direct result of an eligible disaster.
- Be suffering hardship.
- Experienced loss of:
a) Electricity (or other alternate power supply), where this is the only source of power to the applicant's property.
b) Gas, including bottled gas, if the principal place of residence is gas only (if electricity is connected, then gas alone does not qualify for assistance.
c) Water, including water tanks where the principal place of residence is reliant on tank water, but only where an alternate source of water is not supplied.
d) Sewerage including septic tanks.