Hardship Assistance
Supporting Queenslanders experiencing financial hardship, through our partnership with UnitingCare
Hand Heart Pocket is proud to partner with UnitingCare to provide individuals and families facing financial hardship with access to free financial counselling, helping Queenslanders to take back control of their financial futures.
The service is part of the National Debt Helpline, offering free, confidential and independent assistance that is tailored to your personal circumstances and aspirations.
All requests for assistance made through Hand Heart Pocket will be prioritised for a call back from a UnitingCare Financial Counsellor within 72 hours (3 business days).
Crisis support is available 24/7, through Lifeline on 13 11 14 or BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636.
How can a financial counsellor help?
Help put together a plan for the future
1. Help you work out ways to best manage your income and expenses
2. Access emergency funds from the State or Australian Government
Address your immediate needs
3. Prioritise your debts, explore your financial options, negotiate with your financial institutions and service providers and put hardship plans in place. Small grants of financial assistance may be available in some circumstances.
Refer you to other support services
4. Connect you with specialist support services to help with domestic violence and family violence support, legal, mental health or housing issues, or job-readiness.
How to make a request for Hardship Assistance
Complete a short online request form with your name and phone number, specifying the best time of day for a UnitingCare Financial Counsellor to contact you. Your referral can be submitted at any time. All online referrals will be prioritised for a response from UnitingCare within 72 hours (3 business days).
Call the National Debt Helpline directly on 1800 007 007 to speak to a UnitingCare Financial Counsellor. Mention that you were referred by Hand Heart Pocket to be prioritised.
Available weekdays from 9:30am-4:30pm.
Start a live chat through the National Debt Helpline website. Mention that you were referred by Hand Heart Pocket to be prioritised.
Available weekdays from 9:00am-8:00pm.
What other support is available in the community?
How to access practical assistance in your area
Ask Izzy is an online directory where you can find support services in your area simply by entering in your postcode.
The Handy Guide is an online directory put together by Lady Musgrave Trust for women escaping domestic and family violence.
Neighbourhood Centres Queensland is an online directory where you can locate a Neighbourhood Centre near you to access a range of resources, referrals and support.
VAKS Vans and Kitchens is an online directory for locating food vans and soup kitchens near you.
My Community Directory is an online directory where you can search for Crisis & Emergency Accommodation and more.
Aboriginal Hostels Ltd is an online directory for locating First Nations hostels in Queensland.
Hardship Assistance FAQs
No. Anyone living in Queensland can access the service. Simply use one of the request options above to start the process.
Your privacy is important to us.
All referrals for Hardship Assistance through Hand Heart Pocket are kept confidential, however there are some circumstances where we will need to collect or share information about you.
When you access the service through Hand Heart Pocket, you will need to provide us with some simple information such as your name and contact details, so that we can connect you with a UnitingCare financial counsellor.
As part of your service, your financial counsellor may, with your consent, ask us to provide you with financial assistance to help overcome a financial barrier. If this occurs, they will need to provide some details to us about your circumstances.
UnitingCare will also provide Hand Heart Pocket with de-identified information from time to time about referrals received through the program so that we can work together to keep improving the service. You won’t be able to be identified from any of this information.
Hand Heart Pocket’s Privacy Policy is available on our website
Your UnitingCare financial counsellor will be able to speak with you about the information they will need, to be able to assist you best.
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. This includes 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.
In some cases, your financial counsellor may. with your consent, make a request to Hand Heart Pocket to provide a small amount of one-off financial assistance to you. This will not be suitable for everyone and would form part of the overall financial plan that you develop with your financial counsellor.
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. Our approach is to partner with qualified and experienced financial counsellors through UnitingCare, who can work with you to create a financial plan tailored to your circumstances.
When disaster strikes in Queensland, Hand Heart Pocket partners with GIVIT to ensure Queenslanders have what they need to recover.
GIVIT partners with local organisations in affected communities. If you need practical assistance and household goods following a disaster, your local community organisation will be best placed to help you access GIVIT’s help and get back on your feet.
Have questions? Contact the Hand Heart Pocket office on 07 3493 6000 or info@handheartpocket.org.au during business hours and the team will be able to help you.
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