Aboriginal service providers back Ask Izzy

This year Ask Izzy, the mobile site that connects people with housing, a meal, health and wellbeing services, support and counselling and much more, has been expanding to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ access to services.

With a new look and feel for the site to be released in October, some enhancements have now been made including the addition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to search results and service listings. 

Ngwala Willumbong SHS Support Worker Karen Derschow says she uses Ask Izzy with her clients, showing them how they can find specific Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services after hours when they can’t get in contact with her or another Ngwala staff member.

“I’ve said to them, if we’re not there, if we can’t help, then at least you can go there and have a look around and link up with other organisations,” says Karen.

Network Coordinator for Victorian Indigenous Statewide Homelessness, Dan Laws, says he is constantly telling people about Ask Izzy.

“I attend a lot of meetings and it’s very rarely that I don’t bring it up and talk about Ask Izzy.”

Dan says the flags are so important because they ensure people feel included.

“Whether they want to go to the Aboriginal organisation or not, at least they have that choice. They don’t have to scroll through all the mainstream organisations to find an Indigenous one because they come up at the top,” says Dan.

Ask Izzy for Victorian Aboriginal Communities is funded by the Victorian Government’s Public Sector Innovation Fund.