Referral, Support and Hardship Assistance in Gloucester NSW

If you are having difficulty paying your gas or electricity bill due to a short-term crisis such as B.W.N.G. can provide assistance through the Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) scheme *. 

This NSW Government Scheme provides vouchers to be used to pay a portion of your home electricity or gas bills if you are experiencing a crisis or temporary hardship due to an emergency situation such as a medical bill, an unusually high energy bill or loss of income.

To access these programmes you will need to meet certain criteria, and will need to have your circumstances assessed in an appointment with BWNG's Safety Net Officer.  Assessment are available 10am - 2pm Tuesday and Thursday by appointment. Please call our team to book a time. 

*The EAPA Scheme is managed by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) on behalf of the NSW Government.

Our donated food pantry is available to everyone in the community from 9am - 4pm Monday to Friday and is based at our office, at 88 King Street Gloucester NSW 2422. 

We are grateful to the local businesses and organisations that donate to our pantry. The pantry is a part of our emergency relief program and is of assistance to people experiencing short-term financial hardship. Please take what you need, or give what you can. 

If you are finding it difficult to make ends meet we can also give assistance with food, or help to reach out of area medical appointments. 

Please note, for food, fuel or chemist vouchers you must have a hardship assistance assessment of your circumstances by BWNG's Safety Net Officer. Assessment are available 10am - 2pm Tuesday and Thursday by appointment. Please call our team to book a time.

We find that most people who access our Safety Net Programme only need a bit of help in response to an unexpected situation such as a fine, a change to living circumstances or a loss of income due to COVID-19. Some people may need additional support to get through their rough patch of short-term financial hardship. Either way, our team can also connect you with other services or agencies that can provide hardship assistance or emergency relief to help you move forward. This is called a referral. 

A few of the services that we can connect you to are: 

• Gloucester's free legal advice clinic through Legal Aid NSW
• A Financial Counsellor, who can help you with problems around debt and money
• Mental Health Services 
• N.D.I.S. or My Aged Care