Hardship Assistance

No. Anyone living in Queensland can apply for Hardship Assistance through Hand Heart Pocket. You do not need to be referred by a Freemason. 

If you contact Hand Heart Pocket to seek Hardship Assistance, we will ask for your consent to refer you to UnitingCare for financial counselling. This includes giving Hand Heart Pocket consent to provide any relevant information about your personal and financial circumstances on to UnitingCare. You will also be asked whether you consent to UnitingCare updating Hand Heart Pocket with information about attendance at financial counselling appointments, the recommendations they provided to you and which of these recommendations you took up to improve your current situation. This consent is valid for 12 months or when you exit the service. You can also withdraw your consent at any time. 

Yes. In order to best help you navigate your current financial situation, UnitingCare needs to see evidence of your income, assets, bills and debt. You will be asked to provide this information at your first appointment with UnitingCare. You do not need to provide any documentation when initially enquiring about support.  

Yes. The financial counsellors at UnitingCare will be able to help you work out ways to best manage your income, savings and expenses and access all sorts of different financial support including access to emergency funds from the Queensland and Australian Government as well as referring you to other specialist support services like help to find work. 

We do then sometime provide one-off funding to individuals, but we do so in consultation with and on the advice of the Financial Counsellor you are working with, so it is important that you work closely and fully with them. 

No. While we recognise that many people are facing hardship right now, Hand Heart Pocket does not provide ongoing financial assistance to families or individuals as this creates dependence. By referring people to UnitingCare to work with a Financial Counsellor we are helping people get back on their feet.

Please contact your UnitingCare Financial Counsellor at the earliest opportunity so that they can reschedule your appointment. It is important that you attend your sessions to get the most out of this service. 

No. Find out what support is available in your area. The Ask Izzy website www.askizzy.org.au  is a trusted directory of local support services.  The website is easy to navigate and will bring up a list of local community organisations that provide emergency relief, community meals, help to find housing or work, legal support or healthcare etc. In most instances you only need to enter in your postcode and the information will be generated for you, including the sorts of services available in your area, what time there are open and how to contact them for support. 

GIVIT is our disaster relief community partner, who we donate to on behalf of the Freemasons of Queensland when disaster strikes. GIVIT works directly with local community organisations to provide disaster relief for people most in need. Please contact a local community organisation in your area that is registered with GIVIT. They will liaise with GIVIT to help you. 

We also partner with the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) to support not for profit community organisations with disaster preparedness and mitigation.