ABOUT US

Eastern Emergency Relief Network Inc. (EERN) was established in October 1995 by local community-based organisations providing family support in the City of Whitehorse.

It addressed a need for a central source of second-hand furniture and other household goods for re-distribution as emergency aid to families or individuals requiring basic living support in the community.

The support area has expanded to the cities of Manningham, Maroondah, Knox, Monash and Boroondara.

The people assisted (clients) are identified by the community-based organisations (our member agencies) as having urgent needs.

These needs are cause by factors such as long term illness, unemployment, loss of home and belongings through fire, domestic violence, lack of family support or homelessness, indigenous and refugees.

The items needed may be a result of experiencing trauma or loss, where they have a need to move or perhaps cannot afford basic living requirements and/or are struggling to buy essentials such as furniture, other household goods, food and personal hygiene products.

Recipients can only access the warehouse through the 105 EERN Member agencies.

Servicing our member clients’ needs –

The community value of EERN can be gauged by the assistance provided to member agencies and their clients. In financial year 2018/2019 (pre-COVID):

• The EERN warehouse was open for 240 days
• Member agencies came to warehouse 2,084 times (8.5 per open day).
• Selected items range from complete household of furniture down to a toaster, jug or microwave oven, food parcel or personal hygiene parcel.
• EERN distributed over 2,090 electrical items including 196 refrigerators, 319 washing machines, 72 dryers, 211 vacuum cleaners, 186 microwave ovens and 272 televisions.
• Other items selected included 432 couches, 857 beds, 59 wardrobes and 387 food boxes.
• An average of 76 member agencies and their clients accessed the EERN warehouse each quarter.
• Three member agencies accessed the warehouse over 100 times with one of them using EERN to assist their clients 214 times.

Each year at Christmas, over 300 hampers are assembled and distributed across the network of Member agencies.

Recycling good quality household goods and furniture

During 2018/2019

• EERN volunteers collected 2048 lots of donated goods at an average of 8.5 pickups per day from the donors’ premises.
• Donated goods were also delivered directly to the warehouse.