City of Stonnington Councillors endorsed $790,285 of business and community support initiatives funded through Council’s COVID Response/Recovery Fund.
Mayor, Cr Kate Hely, said this package will support the community to respond and recover as Victoria begins to reopen in the coming months.
“In our budget for 2020-21 we secured a $1.89m fund to provide targeted support to our community as we continue to deal with COVID, and these support measures deliver on that.
“These programs deliver targeted support to help our businesses financially, build resilience and support the mental health of our community, as well as help young people stay safe as the night-time economy re-opens.
“Like everyone, I want lockdowns to be behind us as soon as possible but we also need to support our community to rebuild, and these programs will do this,” added Cr Hely.
Support programs include:
- Waiving a range of business fees including footpath trading permits ($269,085), health registrations ($285,200) and trader directional signage ($41,000);
- A targeted business mentoring program over the next 12 months ($20,000)
- A program to build resilience and re-engage vulnerable children in education ($20,000)
- A trial program to support young people to stay safe as nightclubs and entertainment precincts re-open ($30,000)
- Establishing a presence for Headspace, a leading youth mental health service, potentially within our Malvern Library building ($40,000)
- A range of programs for families including child safety, assisting people dealing with family violence, and increased maternal child health services for potentially vulnerable people ($50,000)
- A calendar of events and workshops including an extension of our successful program for women re-entering the workforce, and support for parents ($35,000).
