On Wednesday 9 December, Shepparton Family and Financial Services (SFFS) celebrated the launch of their new offices at 1 Naomi Street, having recently moved to the bigger premises only 16 months since first opening its doors back in July 2019.
SFFS is a subsidiary of Bendigo Family and Financial Services (BFFS) which started in 2006 and aims to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage in the community by delivering education, empowerment, and support programs.
“When we first opened an office in Shepparton, we were primarily focussing on emergency relief in the form of food parcels, material aid and advocacy for overdue utility bills,” said Tracie Driscoll, BFFS management team member currently overseeing the Shepparton Office.
Since then, SFFS has increased its service offering to include Financial Counselling, case management, NILs (no interest loans), StepUP (low interest loans) and AAI Essentials Insurance (insurance tailored for low incomes).
“Our move to our new premises is the next step for us in continuing to increase our capacity to support those who are facing financial hardship, which will be especially important as we recover from the effect that COVID has had on the community,” continued Tracie.
