Vulnerable Tasmanians need support through Christmas Appeal

Today the St Vincent de Paul Society launched its annual Christmas Appeal, drawing focus on statistics that show the unrelenting cost-of-living crisis is seeing more and more families seeking help as they are driven into poverty and disadvantage.

One in eight Australians are living below the poverty line and one in six children do not have enough food to eat. Last financial year, 16,204 Tasmanians received urgent assistance through the Society’s Emergency Relief Service.

Support with the basics of life are at the heart of requests for help. Food, clothing, medications, and utility bills are the essence of assistance offered by the Society – as Christmas draws near, too often there is simply nothing left to give a sense of hope and joy.

The Tasmanian President of the St Vincent de Paul Society, Corey McGrath, said that after three years of a spiralling cost-of-living crisis, many were now living beyond their breaking point, with women and people with mental illness and disability the most impacted.

“Our local Emergency Relief Service statistics show that women aged between 25 to 49 characterised the largest grouping of people seeking our assistance (60 per cent) in Tasmania,” Mr McGrath said. 

“Overall, approximately 30 per cent of people seeking our support were single parents with dependent children. Those parents feel helpless and, as we near the Christmas season, their sense of desperation escalates further.

“The experience of poverty impacts people’s social and emotional wellbeing, their physical health, and ultimately, their future life outcomes.”

“Many of those we support are suffering illness and disability, deepening the cycle of disadvantage within which they are caught. A staggering 38 per cent of the people who turned to Vinnies for help from across the state in 2023-24, reported mental health conditions.”

Tasmanians know that Christmas can be a challenging time for many, but for people struggling just to get by, the joy of Christmas can feel impossible.

Donating to the Christmas appeal means the St Vincent de Paul Society can provide immediate assistance and ongoing support to people struggling just to get by each day.

Last year, thanks to the kindness of donors, the Christmas Appeal helped bring relief to thousands of Tasmanians. Funds raised helped support the Emergency Relief Service which gave critical assistance to more than 4,700 people in the two months leading up to Christmas alone.

Volunteer Members provide personal and respectful companionship, supporting vulnerable community members to connect with a network of services that will support ongoing steps forward. Members spend dedicated time face to face with each individual and family, providing compassionate service and the basic necessities to help those experiencing a personal time of crisis to get through this.

“We help people across Tasmania to get life back on track. At this time of year, our Vincentian family – our Members, volunteers, staff and local supporters, work particularly hard, banding together to provide hampers containing essential groceries, topped with a mix of items intended to bring moments of happiness,” Mr McGrath said. 

“In 2023, more than 1,250 Christmas Hampers were received with delight and gratitude by vulnerable individuals and families across Tasmania. We could not deliver this support and relief without the generosity of our local community. We urge everyone to consider what gift they might make to the work of Vinnies. Every dollar helps – and we are most grateful for the support this gives to others”. 

Case Study

Tania is doing her best to provide a safe and caring home for her three children. Like many people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, she understands the extra financial and social pressures that Christmas can put on vulnerable families.

Mum to a 13-year-old son, Jensen, and twin girls Ella and Brooke, aged eight, Tania grew up in a disadvantaged and abusive household where she often had to go hungry. After facing the stigma of often being without the basics as she grew up, Tania vowed that her family wouldn’t face similar struggles. But despite her determination, Tania found herself in desperate circumstances.

When Tania’s twins were just nine months old, her life took a difficult turn. Her marriage fell apart and Tania was left to look after her young family alone. At that time, Tania was living with severe undiagnosed mental health conditions. Without medication or support, she struggled immensely. But when she started a new relationship, Tania felt her luck was changing.

Thanks to compassionate supporters, Tania received food vouchers and help with the essentials.

“I thought I had found somebody who was accepting of me and he wanted to help me for all the right reasons,” Tania said. “But it turned out this wasn’t the case at all.”

Tania found herself trapped in a toxic relationship, enduring physical and emotional abuse while her undiagnosed and untreated mental health conditions escalated.

A notice to vacate their rental property became a pivotal point in Tania’s life, as it finally gave her the opportunity to break free from the cycle of abuse. Tania moved to a shared private rental, but this too proved to be an unstable and unsafe environment for her family.

Unable to work due to declining mental health and faced with rapidly rising costs of living, Tania and her children were facing homelessness.

Desperate and frightened for her children’s future, Tania found the courage to seek help. For many people trying their hardest just to get by, taking the essential step of asking for help can be difficult.

Constant worry over unpaid bills or affording groceries is stressful and often people can feel embarrassed. Motivated by unwavering love for her children, Tania’s search for help led her to Vinnies.

When Tania was at her lowest, she says the immediate assistance she was able to receive was life-saving.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Vinnies,” she said.

Through the services made possible as part of Tasmania’s caring community, and the compassionate support of dedicated volunteer Members, Tania received the help she needed to start rebuilding her family’s life, including the encouragement needed to seek treatment to manage her mental health.

While Tania has made great strides, the cost-of-living crisis continues to make her family’s life challenging and full of impossible choices. Does she put food on the table or risk being overdue with the rent?

Should she get the medicine the twins need for their chronic asthma or pay the electricity bill before it’s cut off? Does she go without her own medication so the children can get school uniforms?

Just like Tania, too many people are beyond breaking point right now. They’re living hand-to-mouth, without savings or a family network to fall back on. Living in poverty leaves people isolated and with little choice but to go without the essentials – skipping meals, going without hot water, or missing out on critical health care.