Charities are struggling to cope with demand for food, housing, and gifts as the holiday season puts pressure on household budgets. More and more Australians are reaching out for help over Christmas, with Vinnies reporting that demand for their services is increasing by up to 14 percent a year. Vinnies’ southern regional director, Solange Frost, stated, “We are seeing a huge increase in demand, and it’s a sustained increase year-on-year.
One third of those people are new, these are people who’ve never reached out to us for support before.”
Vinnies supported more than 100,000 people in 2023-24, an increase of 14 percent from the previous financial year. Ms. Frost said the charity has already helped 50,000 people in the four months since July. “This tells us that the cost of living and housing crisis is impacting an even broader range of people than ever before,” she said.
Charities struggle with rising Christmas need
Christmas is the busiest time of the year for the Salvation Army, and they are anticipating a dramatic increase in requests for gift cards and vouchers over the next month. Major Gary Masters reported a 30 percent increase in demand for their services in the ACT compared to last year.
“For many, celebrating Christmas seems out of reach due to the rising cost of living, with some on the brink of homelessness and others fighting to simply pay the bills,” he said. Housing is particularly challenging for regional and rural communities, according to Ms. Frost. “As people have left the major cities and moved into rural areas, the cost of housing has really skyrocketed.
Limited supply makes it incredibly tough for families, and we find it difficult to house people in safe, secure, good quality accommodation.”
A recent report highlighted the pressures faced by homelessness services, with some centers forced to close their doors for hundreds of hours to manage the increased demand.
