Jenan Taylor
21 May 2024
Previously financially secure Australians are facing worsening mental health and domestic violence, amid spiralling housing and cost-of-living stresses, Christian emergency relief organisations say.
Anglicare Victoria, Follow Bless Collective and Cockatoo No Interest Loans Scheme are reporting increasing numbers of clients, many of them accessing relief services for the first time.
They see the rising insecurity as contributing to some of the deteriorating mental health and domestic violence many clients are experiencing.
It comes as social justice organisations criticised the 2024 Federal Budget cost of living measures for being unable to seriously tackle poverty and housing insecurity.
Under the budget released last Tuesday eligible renters will get an additional 10 per cent in rental assistance, but fewer than 5000 people will get a JobSeeker boost.
Mission Australia and the Australian Council of Social Services want the government to invest more significantly in affordable housing and raise income support payments to better ease disadvantage.
Read more: Victorians need better mental health and housing support: Outreach workers
Anglicare Victoria said about 40 per cent of its emergency program clients were new, and many were employed.
Program manager dioceses and parish partnerships Chris de Paiva said many were also single women aged over 50 who were experiencing domestic violence.
Mr de Paiva said clients often had to choose between eating and paying bills, because they were in debt by thousands of dollars.
He said a safety net in the form of better Centrelink allowances might help stop them from sliding into further disadvantage and better absorb rising inflation and living costs.
Mr de Paiva said the most increases in the emergency relief clientele were those from new housing areas in Melbourne’ growth suburbs.
Follow Bless Collective in Pakenham said there was a large uptick in middle income people and families approaching the food and material aid service.
Manager and Baptist pastor Luke Williams said many were embarrassed about having to turn to emergency relief services for the first time.
Mr Williams said staff made a point of giving them emotional support and reassuring them that they weren’t alone in feeling the pinch of living pressures.
He said the costs of living were a major driver of their disadvantage, and people’s pay packets had not increased to match the higher food, grocery, insurance and fuel costs.
Mr Williams said any disposable income they might have was gone because they were trying to make ends meet and pay bills.
Read more: Hot breakfast boon as students raise record amount
Cockatoo-based financial aid ministry NILS said its staff was snowed under by the many new applications for loans.
Manager Sue Barbieri said people were coming from all over the south eastern area, and some were so desperate they asked for money for food and medicinal items.
“One person came asking for a $48 loan to tide her over until she got paid. She needed it for treatment for an auto immune disease,” Ms Barbieri said. “We don’t do loans for $48. The situations some people are finding themselves in are really tough.”
Mission Australia said in a statement the federal government’s refusal to increase JobSeeker and adequately increase and review rental assistance, would tip more people into poverty and homelessness.
Executive Ben Carblis urged the federal government to substantially increase rent assistance and lift income support payments to keep people out of poverty and help people in rental stress avoid homelessness.
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