Council Approved Phase II of the $2M budget allowance for a CSP which aims to deliver initiatives that provide opportunity to focus investment in targeted community support and stimulus activities specific to South Gippsland community and economy, in particular those who are most in need.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT PACKAGE – PHASE 2 INITIATIVES
The $2M budget allowance for a CSP aims to deliver initiatives that provide opportunity to focus investment in targeted community support and stimulus activities specific to South Gippsland community and economy, in particular those who are most in need.
The package is being managed and delivered by a dedicated project management team in consultation with key stakeholder groups including the Municipal Emergency Management Committee (MEMPC) and the Business Emergency Leadership Group (BELG) and Community Service Providers to ensure the actions are best placed to deliver real outcomes for South Gippsland. The CSP program delivers support in three core areas: health, connection and innovation and addresses the needs of residents, businesses and the local community.
Whilst Phase One initiatives (currently being implemented) focussed on immediate relief to our businesses and community,
Phase Two focusses on longer term actions to support recovery and reconnection from the impact of COVID-19 and includes:
• Community Health Initiatives – $91,110 – comprising Early Learning Support and facilitating training on Mental Health First Aid, to further support those sectors of the community at risk and to provide tools to enable community members/groups to respond to issues of mental health, as the impacts are likely to present for some time.
• Program of Arts, Culture and Creative Industry (AC&CI) – $252,000 – to assist in stimulating local economy through engaging local artists/technicians, cultural tourism, improving amenity, and supporting creative endeavour. The intent is to restore our creative programs, enhance our cultural offerings and ensure our communities have access to the arts that nourish and connect us all. The impact of COVID-19 on South Gippsland’s Arts, Culture & Creative Industries has seen the immediate loss of creative and financial opportunity with little hope for long term recovery and few Government funding opportunities. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in March 2020 showed that more than half of all arts and recreation businesses had already ceased trading with 73 per cent of businesses being adversely affected. This has been reinforced through our consultation with local arts community. We know that deliberately focusing cultural and creative activities on social cohesion helps to build community belonging and trust, enhances empathy and inclusion and helps combat the growing issues of loneliness and isolation. This program will be flexible and scalable subject to the state of play with COVID-19 restrictions and availability of resources to plan and deliver events within these constraints.
• South Gippsland Tourism Promotion and Marketing – $50,000 – campaign to support local tourism and increase visitation from key target markets as they open up and restrictions allow
• Tourism Business Grants – $100,000 – aiming to fill the gaps from Phase One Business Grants targeting the accommodation sector and tourism businesses such that have also been severely impacted by continued COVID-19 restrictions. This fund will be $100,000, funded from the approved Phase 1 Business Grants provision which has been undersubscribed. The total cost of Phase Two is estimated at $393,110, bringing total initiatives to $1,401,639. This leaves $598,361 available for further recovery initiatives should they be deemed necessary.
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