GEELONG’S ELDERLY LEFT IN THE COLD

Heating costs unaffordable for vulnerable members of community

GEELONG’S most vulnerable are struggling to afford heating as the winter chill sets in over the region, with one relief service reporting “disturbing” calls for assistance.

SalvosConnect Barwon’s Doorways service — an emergency relief and community support service — has provided assistance services to 276 households in the past month, and responded to almost 1500 requests for assistance.

Doorways manager Aubrey Anderson said the cost of heating — particularly in older homes that were typically cheaper to buy and less energy efficient — was unaffordable for many in the region.

“When you consider our clients are living on so little a day, the cost of heating becomes a luxury,” Ms Anderson said. “We have been struggling to keep up with demand for blankets and warm clothing.”

“We have received some disturbing calls from frail elderly people, who feel ashamed and unable to ask for help but are struggling to cope at this time — we do our best to get them help, either connecting them with other outreach services or providing outreach in matters of urgency and to ensure we provide a dignified and respectful service at all times.”

Ms Anderson said the service had worked with at least one client in the region who had been forced to disconnect her utilities due to the cost.

“For instance, we have one client, who cannot be identified to protect her privacy — due to significant health concerns she found herself in a situation with utility bills that were in the thousands of dollars and she was unable to keep her utilities connected,” Ms Anderson said. “We are working with her and the utilities company in order to get on top of the debt and have had the critical utilities reconnected, however, they have done so on a stipend rate.”

Ms Anderson said the service remained “very concerned” for the vulnerable in the region ahead of the winter months: “We have many clients struggling to make ends meet and we are attempting to do what we can to assist all of those, prioritising critical basic needs, and utilities at this time,” she said.

The Salvation Army’s 2018 Economic and Social Impact Survey, released late last month, found that after paying accommodation expenses, re- spondents typically had about $20 per day to live on, depending on their income source.

The survey, of 1267 people who call on Salvation Army services, also found more than 80 per cent of the respondents who were privately renting or paying a mortgage were living under extreme housing stress, spending more than half of their income on housing.

Households with children were worse off with more than 90 per cent under extreme housing stress.