Financial Assistance

Helping people in the most desperate of needs so that they can avoid destitution, homelessness and continue to feed their families. In COVID-19, this support has supported people who have otherwise been left behind. 

When people’s most basic needs are met, they can be safe and independent.  

A significant proportion of the people we serve, who demonstrably cannot find work, or who are unable to work due to illness, do not have access to an ongoing financial safety net in Australia. These families and individuals require ongoing financial assistance to make ends meet. 

Financial support takes two forms. Emergency Relief (ER) is an immediate, one-off payment for people in crisis or facing unexpected costs. ER can be renewed upon reassessment. A Regular Living Allowance (RLA) is a longer term financial assistance to support someone through a crisis and the recovery period, and to support them back to independence. 

Access to ER and RLA is assessed by a caseworker and the provision of ER and RLA is complimented by casework support, as well as other JRS programs such as food bank, employment assistance, and 

In 2020, JRS Australia provides approximately $30,000 in direct financial assistance per month to women, children and men in extreme financial hardship.

Read more about the critical care that JRS is providing to people seeking asylum via Caseworker, Martina Josephson’s reflection here. This forms part of our ‘Reflections from the Frontline’ COVID-19 series. For our COVID-19 response, please click here.