AC Care offers free phone and internet connections to needy Murraylands residents
The community agency has partnered with Optus and Good 360 to keep struggling locals from being cut off from services.
It’s hard to look for work or find a home if you can’t make phone calls or access the internet.
A Murray Bridge service provider hopes to help with that.
AC Care has begun providing free six-month prepaid SIM cards to clients who need them, in partnership with phone company Optus and charity Good 360.
Homelessness and community services manager Trish Spark said internet access, in particular, was becoming increasingly vital as more and more services moved online.
“We know that access to communications is vital for people in crisis to protect their safety, engage with services, apply for jobs or housing and keep connected with family and friends, especially if they may not have a stable home or personal address,” she said.
“Mobile data is essential if someone is in crisis and needs to be connected with these services, especially for people in rural and regional settings unable to access services in-person due to having no access to effective means of transport.”
Clients will still need to provide their own phones, if they have them.
Good 360 had previously provided AC Care with toys, warm clothing and women’s “pamper packs” to clients who would otherwise struggle to pay for them.
Optus customers can help by donating part of their monthly data allowance to the project using the My Optus app or, for prepaid customers, by texting the word “donate” to 4567.
- More information: www.optus.com.au.
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