PEOPLE with disability, their families, and carers could be eligible for grant money after the ACT government announced it would put an additional $40,000 through the “Respite Effect and Recovery Grants”.

The grants, an initiative under the ACT COVID-19 Disability Strategy to better support the wellbeing, resilience, and recovery of people with disability, their families and carers, will close on September 27 unless funding is exhausted before this date.

Applications are not available to people who received funding in the first round of the grants to make sure as many people in the community as possible have access to the funding, according to Disability Minister Emma Davidson.

Some of the things people applied for in the last round include meals, respite and cleaning services, or hobbies and recreational activities, she said.

Many people also applied for devices to better connect with their families, friends and community and some applied for financial support to pay for bills.

“This is a short-term response to make sure that as many people as possible can receive some additional support during this lockdown,” she said.

A number of community partners can help people apply for a grant, including: ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service (ADACAS), Advocacy for Inclusion, Women with Disability ACT, Australian Red Cross, Meridian, Carers ACT, Communities at Work, the Multicultural Hub, Woden Community Services and Capital Region Community Services.

People not connected to these organisations can contact the Office for Disability who will assist with processing an. Email OfficeforDisability@act.gov.au or call 6207 1086.

Applications can be made here.