Upper Hunter Community Services

The Upper Hunter continues to experience the lasting impacts of significant drought, and despite recent rainfall, the drought is not yet considered broken.
Our farmers and farming communities have experienced lasting disruption to the running of their agricultural businesses leaving them with ongoing financial burdens. We know that with financial hardship comes distress, mental ill-health and social isolation.

nib foundation and Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation have teamed up to provide longer-term support to the communities of the Upper Hunter for the next two years.

Collectively, $100,000 has been provided to offer drought affected farmers and communities support services, financial support and community building activities and events during what can only be described as an extremely tough time.

The support offered by Upper Hunter Communities Services aims to be holistic and responsive to the needs of those they support, be it financial support by paying a bill or for groceries; or connecting someone with their resident mental health services.

An important aspect of this project is the delivery of community events during this time, with it more important than ever for the community to come together and support each other through shared hardship.

The longevity of the support aims to provide a degree of security to communities of the Upper Hunter for the next two years, as drought recovery can be a long journey.

The individualised and responsive nature of the project means that the most meaningful relief can be offered to those who access support. This also means relevant connections can be made to other supports available.