Emergency hardship assistance
We are processing applications as quickly as possible and thank you for your patience.
Some of our grants require additional information before they can be processed. If we need more information to process your application, we'll call you. This call will come from a private number.
If you are in urgent need of support, please contact the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.
The Emergency Hardship Assistance (EHA) grant helps people affected by a disaster to get:
- food
- clothing
- medical supplies
- temporary accommodation.
On this page
What the EHA is
You can apply for $180 per person, up to $900 for a family of 5 or more, to help purchase food, clothing and medical supplies or secure temporary accommodation.
This grant isn’t income or asset tested.
Who can apply
You must meet all these requirements:
- you either live in or are stranded in an eligible area affected by a disaster event
- you have suffered hardship as a result of the event
- you are unable to meet your immediate essential needs for food, clothing, medical supplies or temporary accommodation.
People who aren’t Australian citizens can also apply for this grant.
What isn’t covered
You can’t apply:
- if you were isolated within your property (unless you are experiencing hardship as a direct result of the event)
- for business loss or damage including compensation for loss of income
- for farm or property damage (excluding principal place of residence)
- to replace loss of tools of trade
- for loss of power or essential services to your home (you may be eligible for an Essential Services Hardship Assistance grant if the loss is for more than 5 days).
How to apply
You can apply for this grant either:
- online through the Community Recovery Portal
- over the phone by calling the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349
- or by visiting a Community Recovery Hub or Support Services location.
What you need to apply
To complete your application, you will need to provide evidence of your identity and place of residence. This can be:
- Driver licence or other photo identification.
- Medicare card showing members of your family that you are applying for.
If you don’t have this information, you will need to provide other evidence that shows your name, date of birth and address.
For help with your application, call the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349 or visit a Community Recovery Hub or Support Services location.
How to replace lost or destroyed documents.
How it’s paid
If approved, this grant is paid by:
- Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to the bank account listed in your application.
More information
- Utilities
- Returning to affected buildings
- Emergency accommodation
- Help with renting
- The mortgage relief loan
- Find support to help manage stress after a disaster