Volunteers are worth their weight in gold but it seems there are not enough carats to go around in Brimbank.
The city has the worst volunteering rate in Victoria with less than 10 per cent of residents offering some time to their community.
Brimbank is also the city most in need of voluntary services, with 5.8 per cent of residents needing “core activity assistance” compared to the state average of 4.5 per cent, reports reveal.
As National Volunteer Week drew to a close last weekend, Volunteer West chief executive Ken Phillips urged locals to step up and join more than 1600 residents already volunteering to help neighbours in need.
“Brimbank’s local council is really not in a position to provide all the services the community needs, so people need to step in and volunteer to provide those services,” Mr Phillips said.
He said volunteering could be particularly useful for the 8.3 per cent of Brimbank residents who are unemployed.
“Almost 39 per cent of people who volunteer use it as a stepping stone to get back into work. In an area like Brimbank, where so many are looking for work, we really encourage them to volunteer, so they can get that start,” Mr Phillips said.
He said a lack of transport and concerns about safety are some of the reasons people do not volunteer.
“This is why it’s important we provide opportunities for volunteering in peoples’ own neighbourhoods,” he said.
“They don’t have to travel far and can see the impact in their own community.”
St Albans volunteer Karen Browne, a resident of the area for 31 years, said volunteering provided an opportunity to give back and build friendships.
“I retired and found I needed an outlet to meet people.
“I loved it from the very first. We build friendships and it’s nice to give back to the less fortunate,” she said.
Volunteer West has an information officer at the Sydenham neighbourhood house every Friday to assist people wanting to volunteer.
It is estimated volunteers will contribute between $30.3 billion and $42.1 billion to the Victorian economy by 2021.
