It's your cash bonus Community agencies have banded together to assist individuals and families receiving the RUDD cash bonus over the next week.  A book mark listing 21 “good ideas” with additional advice on where to access community information on financial matters has been released by community agencies. Sandy Joffe of Port Phillip Community Group  said “ People have been coming into us saying ‘what should we do with this bonus”. A few people have said “will you keep my money ? I don’t trust myself”. Ms Joffe said “Of course community agencies can’t keep money for people but we can give them ideas about how they can use the money. It is their bonus and they are entitled to make the best of it.” We have also had some people in rooming houses saying that their entire bonus will go to the proprietor. That is not acceptable. The bonus is not part of the normal payments system and recipients are entitled to use it in the way they wish. The book marks have been widely distributed to financial counseling programs, some Centrelink offices and emergency relief and community services organizations. Kathy Landvogt of the Good Shepherd Social Policy Unit said that “As well as giving ideas on the bonus, the book mark explains how to access community services for basic financial information and advice.” Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service through its Micro finance Unit and through its work on financial literacy and capability has developed a model for ensuring people living on very low or fixed incomes get access to basic financial information and advice. The model aims to draw together the many community services which provide information and support in a local and community setting. Ms. Landvogt said “the bookmarks show the potential of our community based approach to micro finance, financial support and financial literacy services”. For copies of the bookmark, contact the Social Policy Research unit on 9418 3000.

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