Financial recovery after floods

Moneycare is a free financial counselling service which runs in around 40 locations throughout Australia.

As part of the ongoing response to the community rebuilding effort, and with funding from the Queensland Department of Communities, The Salvation Army has established three new Moneycare services around the 2011 Queensland flood-damaged towns of Laidley, Gatton and Dalby, also providing additional staff for the Moneycare service in Toowoomba.

According to Moneycare head Tony Devlin, who recently visited the area, many residents remain quite shell-shocked and, with so many still living in temporary accommodation, are also suffering a great sense of displacement.

Tony says the new services not only offer traditional financial counselling, but also work to alert flood-affected residents to all grants and services available.

He says: “I recently spent a week in the area with The Salvation Army’s recovery team ... and there’s a long, long way to go. Some communities have really been decimated … houses were vacant and the complete internal linings were gone.

“The financial and emotional issues are really hitting people considerably now and I think they will keep doing so for the next 12 or 18 months.”

The Salvation Army’s 12 month report on the ongoing flood recovery response, including stories of lives touched, such as George Nathan (pictured), will be posted at salvos.org.au/disaster at the end of February.