TVH Flood Hardship Support Program                                                                 

For more information contact Russell Anderson 0418630237

AUDIO EXPLAINER FLOOD hardship payments for temporary visa holders.

The Australian Red Cross is providing financial relief to temporary visa holders and those with uncertain visa status experiencing financial hardship and who have had their work impacted by the recent Victorian floods.

This support is for people who do not have access to Commonwealth income support, including Special Benefits and Job Seeker or Victorian Government support, such as the Personal Hardship Assistance Program.

Your application will be assessed and, if eligible, single people can receive up to $580. Families receive more based upon their size and their situation.

We know you may be in a difficult situation, however, this is not ongoing income support and we know the payment may not meet all your needs.

To be eligible for this program you must:

• Live in Victoria
• Have been working or were seeking work in flood affected areas but were unable to commence or continue working due to the floods.
• Be unable to access Commonwealth Government income support or the Victorian Government’s Personal Hardship Assistance Program.
• Hold a temporary visa, be seeking asylum, or have an uncertain visa status
• Have no or very limited income, savings or community support

You can apply online through the Red Cross portal. If you have not engaged with us before, you will have to create a Red Cross account with your email and create a password. This password must be 8 characters long and contain at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number, and one special character.

To set up an account and apply for emergency relief through the online portal, please go to:

www.redcross.org.au/migration/temporary-visa-holder-flood-hardship-support-victoria

To complete the application, you will have to fill the online form with your personal information. This includes your name, your address, your date of birth, and other information about which language you speak and your gender.

Additionally, we require copies of certain documents to be uploaded to our system. This includes:

Passport and visa information for yourself, and for all your family members if you live together in Australia.

Bank details such as BSB, your account name, house address and transaction history from 1 October 2022 until now. If applying for the whole family, we require statements for all adult members of the family, including joint and linked accounts.

And finally, evidence of work is required, including written confirmation from your employer or employment agency, details of your impacted workplace, and payslips and bank statements that show your income at the time of the floods in your area.

If you have difficulty with providing these documents, especially if this is due to your visa or work status, we encourage you to submit an application regardless and to get in contact with us, as we may still be able to help.

Please note that the Red Cross is an independent organisation and does not share personal or visa information with the government.

Once you submit the application, a member of our staff will be in touch with you shortly.

If you have any further questions or need any further help, please call our hotline at 1800 855 240 and request an interpreter. Alternatively, send us an email at vicer@redcross.org.au.

If you require assistance with the online application, or do not have access to a smartphone or a computer, we will supply you with a list of organisations in your area that may be able to help.  

We look forward to supporting your application.

Produced by the Australian Red Cross and the NEMBC.