Need for food help

MORE Geelong families are relying on relief agencies to put food on the table as the sector braces for a surge in demand.

New Give Where You Live and Deakin data reveals 30 per cent of local food relief centres surveyed saw an increase in demand for services last month, with another 50 per cent reporting demand had remained stable since rising late last year.

Give Where You Live chief executive officer Bill Mithen said the rise was being driven by an increase in referrals of clients from homelessness and family violence support services.

“There has been a definite increase in demand and there was a definite increase towards the end of last year and that increase has been maintained,” Mr Mithen said.

He said there was a “real concern” among support agencies that the number of people experiencing homelessness could increase amid reductions to unemployment benefits.

“There are a number of factors in play in the community at the moment that are putting people under pressure,” Mr Mithen said.

“There are certain industries badly affected by unemployment and, typically, women are employed in those industries,” he said.

Mr Mithen said that this had led to more single mothers and young families seeking support.

Geelong Food Relief Centre chief executive officer Collin Peebles said people who had never accessed support before were now struggling to put food on the table.

He said the biggest increase in demand had come from smaller agencies to which the centre supplied food.

Mr Peebles said services were preparing for demand to rise once money that people had saved while receiving JobKeeper had run out.

“With the way the economy is, you have to give it time for the money to filter through and eventually that money will run out,” he said.

“We will see an increase … I think it is a little bit too early to tell how big that increase is going to be or not.”

Christ Church Community Meals program co-ordinator Jan McGowan said a record 65 people turned out for breakfast on Sunday amid increasing demand.

She said an average of 50 people accessed the group’s breakfast program, while another 50 accessed the dinner program each day.

Responding to Tuesday night’s federal budget, Mr Mithen said while commitments to domestic violence and mental health funding were welcome, more money was urgently needed for homelessness support and housing.