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Emergency relief service opens its doors in Cockatoo

Published: 23 March 2026

Cardinia Shire Council is proud to welcome the Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service (DRERS) to Cockatoo, providing additional support to residents experiencing financial hardship.

The expansion of the service follows the recent announcement by the Australian Government of additional funding to strengthen emergency relief support for residents experiencing financial hardship.

DRERS is now operating from The Base in Cockatoo on Thursdays and Fridays from 9am until 12:30pm, and is available to residents living in the northern region of the shire. The service also continues to operate from its Belgrave premises five days a week.

Cardinia Shire Mayor Councillor Brett Owen said that DRERS’ expansion into Cardinia Shire would enable this vital service to better support Cardinia Shire residents.

“Cardinia Shire Council has continued to advocate to all levels of government for some time for additional funding to support our community, so we’re really pleased that three services in the shire have received funding to provide additional support to Cardinia Shire residents who are doing it tough,” Mayor Owen said.           

“DRERS provides critical support for people in our community who are going through tough times, whether that’s homelessness, illness, unemployment, family violence, or other challenges.

“This important service provides practical help like food, clothing, and financial support, and residents can either walk in themselves, or be referred by a service provider.

“We’re really pleased to have DRERS in Cardinia Shire, and we welcome the positive difference this important service will make to our local community.”

Residents can access support from DRERS in the following ways:

Visit:                 The Base, 7–17 McBride Street, Cockatoo.
Phone:              9754 7777
Email:                enquire@drers.org.au.

Emergency Relief is an Australian Government funded program that provides immediate, short‑term assistance to people facing financial stress or crisis and who have limited means to meet essential needs.

Two other services also received additional funding to support Cardinia Shire residents:

For more information about these services and other social, health and community services supporting Cardinia Shire residents, please visit Cardinia Support

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