Since the early 1990’s the Give Where You Live Foundation has been delivering an emergency relief voucher program to give people in the Geelong community experiencing financial crisis access to basic necessities such as food, material aid, and support for pharmacy prescriptions.
In 2021, thanks to support from the State Government, the Foundation was able to further strengthen and expand this support, to what is now the Community Choice voucher program. Working with software and app developer OK200, we’ve designed a custom voucher generation and redemption platform that provides a simple and effective emergency relief voucher system.
We partner with over 25 local community service organisations (agencies) who distribute the vouchers to individuals and families, ensuring immediate assistance. These include agencies offering emergency relief services, family and youth services, neighbourhood houses, local schools, employment and training providers, disability and diversity services, mental health support.
Community Choice upholds the dignity and autonomy of those facing financial hardship by the very nature of the design of the voucher system. The voucher is credit card size, and redemption can occur in a range of locations and times of the day, across the Geelong region.
Community Choice increases diversity and access to emergency relief and supports community members in times of crisis with access to; food from Geelong Foodshare and nine local cafes, the concession gap payment for prescription medications from seventeen pharmacies across the Geelong region, and material aid for household items, from the Junk Group. Expanding not only the type of support, but also availability (days, times, location), while stimulating local neighbourhood economies.
Fostering collaboration in our community, this initiative not only addresses urgent needs but also strengthens the fabric of our community. Involving local businesses to become a place where a voucher can be redeemed, creates a supportive network that benefits everyone involved.
Through the Community Choice program, the Give Where You Live Foundation is:
- Providing a simple and effective emergency relief voucher that supports community members in times of crisis.
- Creating greater choice, and dignity for community members seeking help.
- Increasing the diversity and access to food relief, expanding not only the type of food available (expanding involvement of cafes and fresh food businesses) but also availability (days, times, delivery).
- Creating a model of emergency assistance that is widely distributed and provides people with greater options to engage with merchants and redeem assistance across our region.
- Creating a modern voucher system that is flexible and scalable to meet community needs during times of crisis.
Impact
With support from the Percy Baxter Foundation and Shine On Foundation, (and in 2025, the Dawn Wade Foundation and Victorian Government Emergency Food Relief Grant) the Give Where You Live Foundation distributes around $210,000 annually through the Community Choice program, supporting over 10,000 people each year.
The Community Choice voucher generation and redemption platform, designed and managed by OK200, continues to provide real-time data insights, ensuring our voucher program remains efficient and responsive to community needs.
