Further enquiries contact:
Andrew Yule on 0448 380 455 or 9412 6137 or Andrew.yule@anglicarevic.org.au
Media Release
Under embargo until 6AM 1 June 2010
01 June 2010
Emergency relief clients deprived of essential items and
struggling to pay for housing and utilities
People accessing emergency relief services in Victoria are being deprived of
essentials such as a secure home and medical treatment and in many cases are
falling behind in payments for housing, gas, electricity and water according to a new
report from Anglicare Victoria.
Anglicare CEO Dr Ray Cleary said all emergency relief clients rely on income support
from Centrelink and the findings of the report indicate the social security safety net is
failing them.
“Almost nine in every ten people who took part in our Hardship Survey were forced to
borrow money from family or friends in the past 12 months,” Dr Cleary said.
“Around a quarter of the people we spoke to had been forced to pawn or sell some
of their property just to pay their day-to-day expenses.”
The Anglicare Victoria Hardship Survey 2010 used a well regarded deprivation index
developed by the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of NSW that
contains 26 items ‘no-one in Australia should have to go without today’.
The results showed that more than half of the people questioned could not afford
dental treatment when they needed it, more than one third could not afford
medicine prescribed by a doctor and almost 30 per cent could not afford to eat a
good meal once a day.
“Perhaps the most shocking finding was that more than three quarters of the people
surveyed were missing out on 3 or more of the items deemed as essential in modern
Australia and some people were missing out on up to twelve,” said Dr Cleary.
The report also showed people were using emergency relief as a regular support
service rather than a crisis measure.
“People are accessing so called emergency relief an average of seven times a year
with some people approaching various agencies a total of 13 times a year,” Dr
Cleary said.
“The stark picture this report paints is one of families and individuals forced to go
without essentials, borrowing money from friends or family and accessing food
parcels and other material aid just to survive.”
The Anglicare Victoria Hardship Survey 2010 was conducted in April and May 2010 in
St Albans, Wangaratta, Fitzroy, Clayton and Lilydale. One hundred and fourteen
emergency relief clients participated in the report.
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NEWS 
