A new partnership joining two of Victoria’s leading veteran organisations will deliver long-lasting benefit for Australian Defence Force (ADF) veterans and their families
Melbourne Legacy has today announced a partnership with Bravery Trust to provide financial counselling services.
Bravery Trust Interim CEO Garth Callender said the unique approach of delivering veteran-specific financial counselling alongside urgent financial aid more than doubled the impact and will deliver life-changing support – a chance to reset finances and rebuild lives.
“Financial circumstances can be complex, especially when income is limited by illness or injury. We see some veterans waiting five or even 10 years before reaching out for help. In the meantime, the family could be dealing with a range of challenges linked to their financial circumstances,” he said.
“What we’ve learnt is that paying out direct funding alone can often have a band-aid affect providing short-term relief but masking the key issues.
“To maximise long-term impact, we have established a financial counselling service, built on a deep understanding of Defence and service life. Our team is a mix of welfare and financial practitioners and accredited financial counsellors.”
“Our services span from analysing finances, establishing strategies in relation to debt, as well as advocating on behalf of veterans and their families with creditors including landlords, banks, financial agencies and essential service companies.”
Melbourne Legacy CEO Mark Dixon said he was committed to new and innovative approaches to deliver the best possible support for ADF families of veterans.
“This partnership provides longer-term support for families to identify and implement the best pathway towards financial independence,” Mr Dixon said. “By resolving some of the financial stress, we can provide our families space to heal and reset their lives,” he said.
“This partnership will see veteran families given not only immediate aid, but also provided with the education and financial literacy tools to move towards financial independence in the longer term.”
