Intrapac Property has announced a grant of $10,000 to Community Hubs Australia’s (CHA) five hubs in Dandenong, enabling them to support migrant and refugee women as they transition to life in Australia.
Intrapac Property’s grant will provide complementary services to migrant and refugee women with young children, and increase ongoing participation rates in English and early years activities throughout Dandenong’s five community hubs.
Dr Sonja Hood, CEO of CHA is pleased to see a grant that will respond to local needs: “Intrapac Property came to us and asked, what do your Dandenong hubs need? We were able to pose this question to our hubs, and what has come out is a local response that will have a huge impact at a community level,” she said.
Some hubs will use this grant to provide child minding services to support access to programs. Other hubs will use the funding to facilitate early years programs such as structured playgroups.
“By targeting grants to specific needs, Intrapac Property is delivering better access across Dandenong through the community hubs program.”
“Complementary support, such as childcare, will mean migrant and refugee women can take opportunities to develop and grow, increasing the ability to participate and their sense of belonging in Australia,” Dr Hood adds.
“Intrapac Property’s Somerfield development in Keysborough is home to a diverse and thriving community and we’re proud to celebrate every culture that contributes to the Dandenong area,” says Maxwell Shifman, Intrapac Property’s COO. “That’s one of the reasons we’re proud to support the work of the community hubs to provide valuable community connection to all migrants in the area.”
The grant will support five community hubs in Dandenong at:
Dandenong Primary School
Dandenong South Primary School
Dandenong West Primary School
Springvale Rise Primary School
St Anthony’s Primary School
In 2016, hubs in Dandenong engaged 1,600 families, with 3,358 attendances at English classes and conversation programs, 10,638 attendances and playgroups and early years programs, 3,320 attendances at children’s language and literacy, and 1,904 attendances through vocational pathway and volunteering programs. This grant seeks to enable higher attendance rates across these and other hub activities.