What is poverty?
Poverty is often described as a lack of money to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. Poverty can be making difficult decisions between which bills to pay. Poverty can be being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty can be socially isolating. Poverty has many faces, changing from place to place, person to person and across time. Most often, poverty is a situation people want to escape.
We know that poverty affects the whole community. There is no one cause of poverty, and the results of it are different in every case. Some groups are more likely to experience poverty including women, migrants, refugees, people seeking asylum, young people, seniors and the LGBTQI+ community. Poverty is everyone's business, and everyone has a role to play.
What is Council doing about poverty?
Council acknowledges its role working alongside the wider community to reduce poverty. The City of Greater Dandenong Anti-Poverty Strategy 2022-25 outlines our focus for the next three years. We know this anti-poverty work will need to be part of a bigger shift and is a long-term investment in our community. The next year will focus on the following priorities:
- Lifting the voice of those with lived experience
- Building a shared understanding of poverty
- Strengthening how we collaborate and work together to understand and challenge poverty.
- Engaging government and other decision makers – who may or may not recognise their role in reducing poverty
- Strengthening local, place-based connection.
The City of Greater Dandenong Anti-Poverty Strategy 2022–25 has been developed in response to, and with, community. Greater Dandenong City Council established a consortium made up of agencies working with people in poverty to guide the consultation process and connect Council with people experiencing poverty. The consortium, non-government organisations, volunteers and over 120 people with lived experience of poverty contributed to the development of the Strategy. If we work together to influence and create the conditions for people to move out of poverty, we all benefit. Council believes that we are all a part of the solution.
Read more information about the City of Greater Dandenong Anti-Poverty Strategy 2022-25
Local support organisations
Council has put together a list of agencies that may be able to provide emergency food relief and material aid. Please note that hours of service may change without notice. Please contact the agency to confirm services available.
Download the support agency list - 24KB
Ask Izzy
Ask Izzy connects people who are in crisis with services that are required straight away. It is a one-stop shop for services and supports for the community providing localised and reachable services.
