New vehicle for Age Matters helps vulnerable older people access vital services

Age Matters received a new vehicle this week to help deliver its service linkage program helping vulnerable older people in the Illawarra to access essential services.

An initiative of IRT Group, Age Matters empowers older Australians living in the Illawarra to live free from disadvantage by tackling homelessness, loneliness and joblessness. The Age Matters service linkage program works directly with local service providers to connect older people at risk of becoming homeless to essential health, home care, disability and meal services.

Age Matters Head of Social Impact Toby Dawson says linking people to appropriate services that address their individual needs is critical to breaking the cycle of homelessness. 

“Finding our clients affordable, age-friendly housing is just the first step. If we’re not there to help them navigate what are often complex systems, like My Aged Care, becoming homeless again is a high probability,” Toby said.

Age Matters serves approximately 100 vulnerable older people in the Illawarra and will be using the new vehicle to ensure their clients can get to the support services they need.

The vehicle is being leased with a $20,000 grant awarded through the 2019 Community Building Partnerships (CBP) grants round announced last month by Wollongong MP Paul Scully.

Mr Scully says it was a highly competitive round in the Wollongong electorate for the CBP grants. Applications worth almost $2 million were received for $300,000 of state government funding,

“One of the best parts of my role as MP is being able to work with local organisations like Age Matters to secure grants that will be used to make positive and lasting change for people in our community,” Mr Scully said.

Mr Scully looks forward to seeing the benefits that Age Matters will be able to provide to vulnerable older people through the grant.

“The Age Matters team are doing some incredibly important work to support vulnerable older people, particularly as we have been dealing with the COVID pandemic, and the new hybrid vehicle will help them get that support to more people in an environmentally sustainable way.”

To learn more about Age Matters visit https://staging.irt.org.au/about/age-matters/