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By helping people apply for a rebate on their electricity bill, the West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House has also helped keep children safe in cars.
The West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House has helped over 300 eligible concession card holders apply for the Victorian Government’s Power Saving Bonus. As well as helping local residents receive a $100 rebate, the West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House also receives a small payment from the government for each person they assist.
This funding has been used to host a free child car seat installation day.
West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House Coordinator Jill Bourke said that she was excited to reinvest the Power Saving Bonus money into another community program.
“The car seat fitting used to run in Warrnambool and was funded by Neighbourhood Houses Victoria, but unfortunately that funding stopped,” she said.
“I’ve had quite a few phone calls from people requesting the service since it last ran a couple of years ago, so I thought that this could be a worthy project to put this money towards that the community would benefit from.
“The Power Saving Bonus application is an online form, which we know some members of the community have difficulty with, so we’re really pleased to have been able to help so many local people get the rebates they’re entitled to, and then to be able to springboard off of that and run a car seat safety program as well.
“It’s a double benefit.”
More than a dozen local families are enjoying the peace of mind knowing their children’s car seats are correctly installed, including Joanne McKinnon, who has five grandchildren aged from a few months old up to six.
“I wasn’t sure if I had the seats installed properly, so I wanted them to be installed properly for the grandkids’ safety,” she said.
Ms McKinnon said that she received expert guidance on the day and now feels more confident installing the different types of car seats she needs.
“It can be a lot easier than what you think, once you’ve had a lesson. It’s worth having a lesson,” she said.
“Frank was a great instructor and I’m really pleased.”
While the car seat safety program was a one-off for now, the House hopes to run it again in 2026.
For the latest information about the West Warrnambool Neighbourhood House and its programs, visit www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/west-warrnambool-neighbourhood-house or drop into the House in the Pecten Avenue Park from Monday to Thursday.
Power saving Bonus applications are open until March. You can call Jill on 0418 944 276 to book an appointment.