Disaster Recovery

Supporting our community through their toughest challenges

We live in areas that are frequently impacted by bushfire and flood emergencies and natural disasters. Gateway has provided disaster recovery support services to impacted communities throughout the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury regions.

Thanks to various grants we have been able to deliver the Step by Step Project, the Walk With Project and the Blue Mountains Resilient Communities Project, working alongside communities as part of the recovery process.

PLEASE NOTE: These programs and services were delivered in the post-disaster recovery period and are not currently operational as at September 2024. Updates will be made to this page as circumstances change.

Step by Step Project

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Step by Step is a personalised disaster recovery support service assisting people across the Hawkesbury, Lithgow & Blue Mountains who have been affected by the bush fires or other emergency events, providing information, decision-making and disaster recovery resources.

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‍Step By Step offers free support and information to individuals and households impacted by the bushfires across the Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Hawkesbury LGAs. The Step by Step team works creatively to stay connected with people in ways that protect their health and wellbeing, providing support workers who:

• Provide relevant information about the range of assistance and services available
• Help service users work out what needs to be done and develop an action plan
• Connect service users with the services required and assist in coordinating these
• Facilitate meetings between service users and relevant agencies
• Assist with practicalities like dealing with insurance companies or replacing key documents.

We lost our house and all we owned. Without Step by Step I don't think we would have been able to survive. They were angels.

Walk With Project

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‍As extreme weather events become more frequent, more communities will find themselves dealing with the aftermath of disasters. This can take a devastating toll on people's lives with impacts that last many years after the original event.‍

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Community workers and organisations can find themselves at the front-line of providing immediate and long-term support to people who are impacted. This is usually an additional (unfunded) service to be provided alongside core business.

Gateway Family Services developed Walk With to support the community sector to better prepare for disasters. Walk With is an online training tool that can be easily accessed before, during and after emergencies, drawing on research and the practice wisdom of community workers who have supported people impacted by disaster. 

Walk With contains two online courses that:

• helps raise awareness
• provides information and links to resources
• helps you prepare your organisation
• builds on existing skills and strengths

Blue Mountains Resilient Communities Project

With 12 months of funding from the Nepean/Blue Mountains Primary Health Network, Gateway provided capacity building support for local grass roots community groups and initiatives in the Blue Mountains.

Our Community Development Worker met with and consulted with a number of local community groups to assess and support their needs including:

• Grant writing knowledge and skills
• Moving to become an incorporated association
• Governance training and skills
• Attendance at conferences and workshops
• Seed funding for community initiated and led projects and initiatives

Funded by the Primary Health Network, our Community Development Worker consulted with various community groups, building relationships and assisting with activities and events that encouraged community cohesion and connection, and to consult with community in order to support connection, resilience and recovery.

• Megalong Valley Association
• Association of Bell, Clarence and Dargan (ABCD group)
• Deadlee Gap Café Inc.
• Resilient Blue Mountains

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