‘This level of poverty can’t be justified’
‘‘We have now reached crisis proportions.’’
Major Pam Waugh Salvation Army head of social services
Rising housing and living costs have seen more than 28,000 emergency food parcels sent out across New Zealand by the Salvation Army in a year – enough to supply the entire population of Timaru.
Its food parcels were sent to a mix of families and individuals, meaning the actual number of people they are feeding is much higher.
The Salvation Army estimates they have helped to feed about 60,000 Kiwi kids. The growing demand for food parcels represents a 13 per cent rise over the year to October 1, and with Christmas just around the corner, more than 17,000 families are predicted to seek help with accommodation, food support and counselling over the holiday season. Major Pam Waugh, the army’s head of social services, said the increased demand was accompanied by a marked rise in the number of working families requiring support, which showed even those with jobs were struggling to pay the bills.
‘‘How can we sit down to a nice Christmas Day meal, surrounded by loved ones, knowing there are thousands of families without anything to eat, let alone gifts under the tree?’’
The Salvation Army will launch its Christmas Appeal today. Its 2017 State Of The Nation report showed there were about 300,000 children living in poverty.
Waugh said half of the country’s wealth was sitting with the top 10 per cent. ‘‘It’s not right and it’s time for us to front up and act as a community.’’
A standard food parcel provides ingredients for three or more days worth of meals, and is the first step to helping families in need.
Between July and September alone, more than 10,000 people required food parcels – up 8 per cent on the same period in 2016.
A little under half of the parcels were needed in the Auckland region, which saw deliveries jump 17 per cent, while the number of people requesting them rose by 15 per cent to 4387.
Waikato also experienced a significant jump with 1026 food parcels sent out across the region – a increase of 73 per cent on the same period last year. This was suspected to have been triggered, in part, by a rising population as well as extra Salvation Army resources in the area.
In Christchurch, food parcel deliveries jumped by more than 12 per cent to total 1452 during the winter quarter, of which 561 went to new families. This comes after four years of static demand in the southern city.
The Wellington region required 1004 food parcels, representing a 4 per cent increase overall, with more than a third of parcels going to families who had not sought parcels before.
Wellington Missions director Hilary Hague said the large number of new recipients showed a greater range of people were finding themselves in crisis.
Hutt Valley and Porirua experienced the Wellington region’s largest increases in demand, with 20 and 10 per cent growth respectively compared to last year. ‘‘We are seeing more working people needing help in Porirua, which is a change, and more homeless people in the Hutt,’’ Hague said.
Increased rents and the cost of living were the key driving forces behind Wellington’s rise in poverty, she said.
‘‘We see people on the Job Seeker benefit who, after their rent is paid, might have only a maximum of $30 per week to cover everything.’’
Within Wellington City, people were mainly in need of accommodation. But all Salvation Army rooms were already full. ‘‘We have now reached crisis proportions.’’
Waugh said applicants for a food parcels were asked a series of questions to check their eligibility. If a person received more than three parcels in three months, they were required to undergo further assessment and undertake budget advice.