"Without City Mission, we'd be lost"

A young couple came to us this year in need of assistance. They hadn’t made an appointment with Family Services for emergency relief since 2014.

Eight months ago the couple married and while this should have been a joyous time for their family of six, their government assistance was put on hold for one month and total contributions had almost halved when it was reinstated due to the change in their relationship.

The father of four is unable to secure a job despite applying for anything relevant. He was employed a while back before breaking his leg and while his employer said his job would be there when he recovered, the business was slowing up and had to lay a few men off, including this father.

The couple visited us because they had unknowingly fallen behind in their rental payments. They had direct debit set up with the real estate however it had stopped working and they didn’t realise until the real estate agent contacted them. Suddenly now weeks behind in rent and struggling on nearly half of their usual government assistance, the couple found themselves back at City Mission needing support.

“I thought we were the only ones doing it tough,” said the mother as she held one of her sons.

“Without City Mission, we’d be lost.”

 “I normally spend $250-$300 a week on groceries [for our family of six] depending on what I’ve got left from the week before. Right now I could easily spend $300. Our cupboards and fridge are empty,” she continued, “Coming here today is our last resort.”

There is an increasing amount of people finding it tough with a rise in unemployment, lack of affordable housing and decline in the amount of government assistance available.

Family Services were able to provide the family with a food package and vouchers to get through the week until their next support payment. The couple were very grateful for the assistance.