Financially disadvantaged and vulnerable criteria - Financial Counselling Program (2024)

Financially disadvantaged

A person is defined as financially disadvantaged if they are in financial difficulty and:

• they have no income
• their main source of income is a Centrelink benefit or
• their income is insufficient to sustain their personal financial commitments and they have defaulted on payment of their debts, or are at risk of defaulting.

A person experiencing financial disadvantage is eligible for information and referral and sessional casework services. For more information, view our Client services - Financial Counselling Program page.

Financially disadvantaged and vulnerable

A person is financially disadvantaged and vulnerable if, in addition to experiencing financial disadvantage, their capacity to assist themselves is limited. Examples include:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• Family violence
• Homelessness
• Intellectual or physical disability
• Lack of formal education (including illiteracy)
• Life event (includes accident, illness, divorce, unemployment, death of a close family member)
• Limited English proficiency
• Mental health issues
• Substance abuse.

A person experiencing financial disadvantage and vulnerability is eligible for information and referral , sessional and extended casework services.For more information, view ourClient services - Financial Counselling Program page.