Using Ask Izzy to give Vinnies companions a hand up

Ask Izzy is a mobile website powered by the Infoxchange Service Directory. It connects people in need with a range of support services close to them.

Gina is a welfare worker who uses Ask Izzy in her day job, working with young people at risk of homelessness in the Western suburbs of Melbourne. Gina also uses Ask Izzy in her volunteer role with a charity organisation that operates out of her local church parish. A group of ten volunteers respond to calls for help from individuals in the local community. Through home visits, teams assess the caller's needs and distribute food vouchers, furniture, or gift cards to Opportunity Shops in the area.

Volunteers also provide information over the phone and refer people to support services around them. "Ask Izzy is really useful for volunteers who don't have prior training in the welfare sector. They can use Ask Izzy to find service recommendations when they go out on visits," Gina says.

Volunteers use the Ask Izzy app to find support services for the people they help. Having a resource like Ask Izzy on hand allows volunteers to provide relevant and up-to-date information to the people they are assisting. When individuals move to another geographical area and contact their past support group for material assistance, Ask Izzy enables the volunteers to find support services closer to the person's new location.

"In this way, we provide a hand up rather than a handout and empower people to help themselves. By providing relevant information and referring them to support services, we are helping them to get out of that situation," Gina says.

According to Gina, what makes Ask Izzy different and more helpful than other resources available in the sector is:

• The up-to-date information provided through the directory
• The directory's ease of use and accessibility
• The function of saved searches and information sharing

If you'd like to know more about Ask Izzy, visit the website here.

If you'd like to know more about the Infoxchange Service Directory and how to use it to power your own community service directory, view the Service Directory page on our website.