Community Recovery

Disaster relief and community recovery

Dealing with disasters is stressful, and it’s important to take care of your mental health and wellbeing.

In the wake of a crisis or environmental disaster in Queensland, UnitingCare Queensland is there to help people deal with trauma and cope with grief and loss.

At the request of authorities and community leaders, the Community Recovery team will visit a community to provide mental health support and psychological first aid in the weeks and months after bushfires, floods, drought, cyclones, pandemics and tragedy. We support people as they work through shock and begin to come to grips with their experiences.

This process takes time. We often continue to support communities in the years following a crisis, in partnership with other services. Our Community Recover team can assist people in accessing longer-term supports.

The Community Recovery team

The Community Recovery team is here to help communities face the future together. The Community Recovery team has been supporting Queensland communities since the Townsville Black Hawk helicopter disaster in 1996. We continue to respond through our trained staff and network of services across the state.

The Community Recovery team consists of crisis support officers, with a wide range of experience and expertise, including:

• Social workers.
• Psychologists.
• Financial counsellors.
• Domestic and family violence specialists.
• Family support workers.
• Homelessness specialists.

Our team also encompasses volunteers, including crisis supporters from Lifeline’s 13 11 14 Crisis Support Line and the 13YARN crisis line.

We also develop relationships with local partner agencies and local governments who manage evacuation centres during events to ensure we provide coordinated community support services.

Want to join our team?

If you would like to work for the team as a Community Recovery Support Officer, please complete our Expressions of Interest form below.

Resources for disaster and crisis support

Have you recently experienced a community disaster, trauma, or loss? The following resources provide practical information on how to prepare for and cope with the effects and experiences brought on by crisis or natural disasters.

Still feel stuck? Call 24/7 13 11 14 Lifeline Crisis Support Line.

General information