About us
Whittlesea Community Connections (WCC) is a not-forprofit community based organisation in the municipality
of Whittlesea. We provide a range of services and
programs designed to increase community participation,
build community connections and address disadvantage.
We have been a core Whittlesea agency for more than
forty years, expanding our programs and services to meet
the needs of our community. In the 2013/14 financial year
around 28,269 people accessed our services.
Our approach is based on the philosophy that
communities should guide their own development. We
provide free, confidential, non-judgmental independent
services that value self-determination and celebrate
diversity.
Our vision is a Whittlesea in which people and
agencies work together to make a positive difference to
their community, ensuring everyone has equal access to
the community’s resources and services.
Our mission is to offer services and programs to
address disadvantage in the community, and to promote
community participation and involvement.
We do this through a range of programs and services:
Settlement Support Programs for
Refugees and New Arrivals
Our settlement team provides a range of programs and
services to support Whittlesea’s newly arrived migrants
and refugees in order to achieve a better quality of life,
confidence, and a sense of connection to the wider
community.
Settlement casework, funded by the Department of Social
Services, provides intensive, proactive assistance, ensuring
clients are supported holistically to overcome a range
of barriers to effective re-settlement. We also provide a
migration legal advice service.
Settlement youth services includes generalist casework,
the DEWR funded Youth Connections program,
(supporting young people at risk of early school leaving)
and a range of holiday and group programs.
With financial support from The Victorian Multicultural
Commission and the Ward-Ambler Foundation, our four
learning support programs provide essential educational
and homework support for newly arrived students each
week.
A range of social support and groupwork programs
provide opportunities for meaningful relationships to
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develop over time, increasing confidence and greater
sense of community inclusion amongst emerging
communities.
Women in Work is a mobile childcare social enterprise
Funded by Pam Usher via the Australian Communities
Foundation which trains and employs qualified local
women from migrant and refugee backgrounds to
deliver on-site childcare services.
Funded by Vic Roads, The L2P program assists
disadvantaged young people to acquire 120 hours of
driving practice in order to acquire their probationary
license. Other road safety programs funded by the
RACV focus on adult learner drivers.
Other community development activities help to
address and identify settlement needs.
Client Services
We provide a community information, support and
referral service to connect our community to the
people, services and organisations they need.
Through emergency relief and case management
services, we provide financial and other support
to those experiencing hardship. This includes our
successful housing brokerage project which helps
people access the private rental market through the
provision of no-interest loans.
Whittlesea Connect Community Transport Service
provides transport for disadvantaged Whittlesea
resident who have trouble getting to health
appointments, social groups and other important
commitments.
Whittlesea Volunteer Resource Service connects
individuals looking for volunteering opportunities with
organisations seeking volunteers.
Whittlesea Community Legal Service
Our legal team provides free legal information and
casework to the Whittlesea community. Working
to address the barriers that prevent people from
accessing the justice system, the team also conducts
community legal education and advocates for law
reform.
The Whittlesea Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
(CALD) Communities Family Violence Project brings
together nine local, regional and state-wide services to
support newly arrived migrants, refugees and asylum
seekers to prevent and respond to family violence in
Whittlesea.