Winter Needs Payment
Am I eligible?
You are eligible to receive the Winter Needs Payment if your home was damaged or destroyed in the 2009 bushfires. Recipients of the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund Rebuilding and Recovery grant and Household Repairs grant will automatically receive this payment based upon information previously provided.
Payments will also be made to individuals who accessed the joint Commonwealth-State funded National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements through Rural Finance Victoria.
What assistance is available?
A $2000 lump sum is available per household.
Payments will be made to your nominated bank account, please talk to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund about alternative arrangements.
How do I claim?
There is no application form or application process.
If you have already received a Rebuilding and Recovery Payment from the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund or a payment under the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements you do not have to do anything. The payment will be made directly into the bank account you originally nominated to receive your payment.
Anyone who has not applied for one of these payments who believes they are eligible for the $2,000 Winter Needs Payment should download a Rehousing and Recovery application form from Destroyed Homes Payment, Damaged Homes Payment or Tenant Contents Payment pages or contact the Appeal Fund hotline on 1800 180 213.
Applicants who have not had their Rehousing & Recovery Payment processed yet, will have the Winter Needs payment automatically made as part of that payment. They do not need to do anything else.
What if I was not eligible for any of the grant payments listed above?
Call the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund information line and discuss your circumstances with one of our staff.
What can this funding be used for?
The Winter Needs payment aims to assist families and individuals to purchase the essentials they need this winter. This could include heaters, blankets, new winter clothing, to cover the cost of gas and electricity bills, having insulation installed or materials to make home improvements on temporary housing.