Community Hubs are established by the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy as a one-stop shop where all recovery agencies are represented at a single location. It is normal for this to occur in larger disasters or in isolated locations where not all agencies are permanently located. Other organisations that might be represented at a Community Hub include: QBuild, local authorities, mental health services, Centrelink – Services Australia, Insurance Council of Australia, Lifeline counselling services, Australian Red Cross, and other community-based organisations with capacity to support the recovery effort.
The primary function of Community Hubs is the delivery of services by individual agencies. The secondary function is the coordination of human and social recovery services across agencies and organisations.
The services provided may include:
- Registration
- Information and referral service
- Financial assistance
- Federal Government pensions and benefits
- Crisis and personal counselling services
- Mental health services
- Housing and accommodation – medium and long term
- Insurance advice and services
- Legal services
- Building repairs
- Physical assistance with clean up and debris and rubbish removal
- Employment advice and referral
- Interpreter services
- Housekeeper services, referral staff/volunteer help including child care services
- Transport.
In establishing a Community Hub, the centre will be:
- Well advertised
- Accessible
- Well equipped with communication equipment
- Sufficiently large
- Well serviced with toilet and catering facilities
- Properly staffed.
Coping with Stress
Disasters can be stressful and frightening, placing strain on household and family relationships and you may see behavioural changes in adults and children. Most people involved in a traumatic incident or disaster will experience some kind of emotional reaction. It is reassuring to know that, even though these feelings can be very unpleasant, they are normal reactions in a normal person to an abnormal event. It is important to remain calm during and after the disaster event.
Remember that you, your family and your community are not alone. Support is available through a number of Queensland Government agencies and community organisations. There are a number of ways of seeking help, as per table below
| Lifeline Australia call 13 11 14 | Lifeline Australia provides a telephone counselling service in addition to providing information, referral and associated services from local service centres. |
| Beyond Blue call 1300 224 636 | Beyond Blue provides information and support for anxiety, depression and suicide prevention for everyone in Australia. www.beyondblue.org.au |
| Kids Helpline call 1800 55 1800 | Kids Helpline is a free (even from a mobile), confidential 24/7 online and phone counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25. https://kidshelpline.com.au/ |
| MensLine Australia call 1300 78 99 78 | MensLine Australia offers free professional 24/7 telephone counselling support for men with concerns about mental health, anger management, family violence (using and experiencing), addiction, relationship, stress and wellbeing. https://mensline.org.au/ |
| Suicide Call Back Service call 1300 659 467 | The Suicide Call Back Service is a 24 hour, nationwide service that provides free telephone, video and online counselling. You can call us anywhere and anytime on 1300 659 467. |
| Australian Red Cross call 1800 733 276 | The Australian Red Cross has a number of publications to assist with recovery from disasters, including information on looking after yourself and your family when there’s a crisis. Advice on managing distress provides information for communities, parents and caregivers after a distressing event, and is available in seven languages. Print out a copy to keep in your Emergency Kit. To view other resources visit www.redcross.org.au. |
| Additional help and information | Can be obtained from your general practitioner, local Community Health Centre or local Mental Health Service. Please refer to the White Pages. |