Caring for people under pressure

JASON HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO CARING.

Having worked for a range of support services throughout his professional life, including at the Matthew Talbot Hostel, this instinct has extended to his family.

Taking on the responsibility of acting as the primary carer for his ailing wife and teenage children, who live with complex needs, for more than a decade, Jason has received the support he’s needed in times of crisis from a reliable source of care: Vinnies.

“Vinnies have been really consistent. They’re always the ones we felt comfortable with and so I do feel grateful,” explains Jason. “It’s made life just that little bit easier.”

Vinnies has been able to assist Jason and his family in a range of ways, including shoes for his daughter, energy bills and medication. Tragically, the greatest cause of stress for his family is food insecurity.

With one in five people reportedly going without meals in the past year and food prices rising by 17% since the start of the pandemic, the strain placed on households for the most basic of needs has been debilitating as people try to stay upbeat in the face of circumstances that break them down.

“Before this crisis, we were pretty much living hand to mouth, from one week to the next.”

“So, when the cost of everything started going up, we had no buffer. I just had to do whatever I could to make sure my kids had something to eat. As a parent, that’s your first priority.

“I tried absolutely everything. I took superannuation out. I cut back on everything I possibly could. Sometimes I’d skip meals so the kids could eat. I’d sit up each night trying to work out how I could make our money stretch a little further.”

Jason is not alone in this stress. Close to 100,000 people have been supported by St Vincent de Paul Society NSW members during the last financial year. Four in five have sought assistance due to a shortage of food. Ongoing cost of living pressures have also seen one in three people turn to our members for the first time and close to half citing housing stress as a cause of hardship.

“I’m just trying to figure out how to logistically get through, but it is impossible.”

The terror felt by Jason of not knowing how to support his family is tragically not a unique phenomenon in a country of abundance.

Sandra has worked as a case worker with Vinnies for many years and recognises Jason’s circumstances as an all too common occurrence.

“There’s been a significant increase in the number of people reaching out for food assistance over the last six months,” says Sandra.

This increase in assistance has coincided with growing housing insecurity, rising energy bills and soaring grocery prices.

Sandra views the support provided by Vinnies more holistically than a food voucher. “We’re trying to provide a service that encapsulates everything at once so that people know they’re cared about, that we do care.” This mentality is at the heart of what Vinnies aspires to do every day in communities throughout the state.

When people are in times of hardship, they can know Vinnies is there. If people are made to feel alone, they can turn to Vinnies to hear them. In the darkest of moments, Vinnies will be a light that offers hope and care.

“It felt embarrassing for me to seek charity assistance. But the Vinnies guys made it so easy. There was no judgement whatsoever. They just made me feel comfortable and cared for,” says Jason.

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As households across the state continue to feel the strain of the rising cost of living, your support can play an invaluable role in easing the pressure faced by people like Jason. Through a generous contribution to the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, you can make a meaningful difference that delivers support with food, clothing, household bills, advocacy and much more.

1 https://reports.foodbank.org.au/foodbank-hunger-report-2023/

2 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-30/emerson-supermarketreview-unlikely-lower-prices/104031280