New one-stop shop bushfire recovery centre opens in Lobethal
A new bushfire recovery centre has opened in Lobethal to offer a one-stop shop service for those affected by the devastating Cudlee Creek bushfire.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A new bushfire recovery centre has opened in Lobethal, replacing two initial relief centres established in the wake of the Cudlee Creek bushfire.
Premier Steven Marshall officially opened the facility, at 1 Lobethal Rd, on Monday morning, ahead of a special Cabinet meeting called to discuss how the State Government will further help both the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island communities affected by recent and current bushfires.
The centre, in the Fabrik Arts and Heritage building in the Old Woollen Mill, will be run by the SA Housing Authority and will provide a range of services including mental health services, emergency accommodation and information on how to access Government grants.
Community organisations such as the Australian Red Cross will also be at the centre to offer assistance.
Human Services Minister Michelle Lensink said the facility would be open daily from 7am to 7pm and would be a “one-stop shop” for people seeking practical support and advice.
“There’s a range of different government and non-government services that will operate from this Lobethal site – We have support for primary industries; We have mental health support, counselling available; There will be small business grants; We’ve got Centrelink onsite, so it’s really a one-stop shop for anybody who’s been affected by the fires to come and find out what they can access and get the sort of support that they need,” she said.
“We want them to know we are with them every step of the way.”
Ms Lensink said the centre would continue to operate over the coming months and services would be modified as needs changed.
Mr Marshall said he had called a special cabinet meeting for this afternoon to “work on the … co-ordinated plans for recovery for South Australia”.
“We’ve now had 2000 (individuals and families) through the disaster recovery centres that had been established, 1600 people have accessed emergency payments totalling almost $1 million to date,” he said.
“And this is the tip of the iceberg … of the support that we will be providing to those people affected by bushfires across South Australia.”
Police officer and Local Recovery Coordinator Alex Zimmermann was also at the centre this morning and urged South Australians to get behind the Hills communities by visiting the region and buying local produce.
“It’s up to all South Australians now to show their support for the Adelaide Hills because they have suffered for many many weeks and we need to bring people back because these areas rely on the tourism and the support of their fellow South Australians,” he said.
The Lobethal Recovery Centre will replace the Highbury and Mount Barker relief centres.
The Highbury centre closed on Sunday evening while the Mount Barker facility will shut at 7pm on Wednesday.