One minute I was helping others, then I needed the help
Joanne has spent her professional life supporting people as a social worker. She never expected to be the one needing support.
Living with her partner, Max, and their 11-year-old daughter, Harper, Joanne was able to stay above water on a dual income with enough left over to create lasting memories for her family.
However, as costs began to rise across the board from food to household bills, Joanne felt the pressure of needing to cut back on household spending.
Despite her best efforts to stretch every dollar and Max going without meals to ensure Harper didn’t have to do the same, Joanne experienced the shock of a rent increase, which in turn led her to turn to the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria for assistance.
“I worked with very vulnerable families in my past as a case worker, and I used to refer them to services. Now, I’m the one that’s needing the services,” says Joanne.
“When did this happen? How did we get here?”
For people like Joanne, the rising cost-of-living means that the same pay cheque doesn’t go as far as it once did.
Her fortnightly grocery bill previously came in at under $200. Today, she can only get a fraction of what she used to, meaning she must absorb more of her budget or go without.
The Society has been able to ease the load for Joanne, providing food vouchers, clothing through our Vinnies Shops and support with school supplies for Harper.
“I’m disappointed that life is like this, but I’m also grateful that there’s kindness and there’s services that can help out there.”
For Joanne, Christmas will look different this year after she was hit with yet another rent increase which will place her under pressure once again.
“We haven’t even been here 12 months and we have to move out because we can’t afford the rent,” says Joanne.
Joanne’s life right now looks different to the one she was living only a few years ago.
Her budget doesn’t go as far as it used to. Harper is growing quickly and set to start high school in the new year, meaning added financial pressure with expenses like new uniforms and a laptop. The load she has to carry is heavy but it’s made lighter knowing she can turn to the Society for assistance.
As Christmas approaches, after a year of having to go without so much, Joanne is grateful to know food will be on the table and a few presents will be under the tree.
“To be able to provide the things that Vinnies can is unlike anything else, like I don’t even have words to describe it. I think it’s so important and such a blessing for them to be in a position to be able to help.
“And, if I’m ever in a better financial position, the first thing I’ll be doing is giving back.”
The St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria supports hundreds of thousands of people annually, with members and volunteers providing emergency relief with food, clothing, accommodation, household bills and much more.
Cost-of-living pressures are driving people to reach out in their times of need, including over one in four people doing so for the first time during the past 12 months. Our members have also seen an emergence of circumstances similar to Joanne’s with a third of households reaching out renting in the private rental market.
As the cost of housing, food, utilities and day-to-day essentials keeps going up, more and more people are reaching out for support as Ben, one of our Vinnies Assistance Centre coordinators, can attest.
“We’ve got more people in private rentals now asking for assistance than people in social housing,” says Ben.
On a typical day, Ben can see anywhere from 8 to 15 people in need of assistance. The need is even greater during the Christmas season.
Our members and volunteers strive to understand each person’s individual circumstances and provide assistance that is tailored to their needs. This can look like providing food and supermarket vouchers to create space in a household budget to pay a utility bill or make the rent.
The Christmas period is time where the Society steps up by providing hampers and presents so that no one has to go without.
“We get parents coming in who are struggling and they just want that little bit of magic for their kids.”
“Seeing their eyes light up, the biggest smiles, it’s the happiest moment they’ve had in so long,” says Ben.
WHAT WE SEE
Households are feeling the cost-of-living crunch and reaching out for support.
Everyone is impacted by the rising cost-of-living, but for a growing number of people, a threshold has been crossed where there is nothing left to cut back on, and they are turning to charities like the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria in their time of need.
Regardless of the times, everyone should be able to put food on the table, keep a roof over their head and live with dignity – especially during the Christmas season.
The rising cost-of-living means people are having to cut back or go without in order to stay afloat.
More than three million Australians have faced food hardship for the first time in the past six months1, while more than one in three people are seeking help with food relief for the first time, including dual income households2. The cost of housing is another pain point for households with rents for houses and units rising across the board nationally3.
In a country as well off as Australia, there should be no reason for people to be living in poverty, yet tragically one in seven people and one in six children are forced to live without the basic needs and resources of life4. Poverty doesn’t affect a single aspect of a person’s life, it’s far reaching and long-lasting. Imagine trying to hold down a job, keep up with your studies, stay connected with friends or take care of your health without a foundation of support5.
At the Society, we strive to give people a hand up with practical assistance as well as addressing the causes of hardship. This advocacy work aims to address structural drivers of poverty such as pushing for minimum standards in housing and greater security of tenure. By meeting people’s needs now and helping to shape better conditions for the future, we can empower people to live happy and thriving lives.
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1 SecondBite (2026), Coles, SecondBite and Foodbank launch Community Food Relief Appeal to help put more meals on Australian tables
2 OzHarvest (2026), Cost of surviving crisis bites Aussies families hardest
3 Domain (2026), June 2026 Rental Report
4 ACOSS (2025), Poverty in Australia
5 ibid