“IN my 26 years as a St Vincent de Paul (Society) member on the Gold Coast this is the most desperate Christmas I’ve encountered.”
St Vincent de Paul Society Gold Coast/Country diocesan central council president Jim Donaldson made the observation as the organisation’s call centres were swamped by an estimated 30 per cent increase in requests for Christmas hampers and other support.
His region takes in the Gold Coast as well as an area including Jimboomba and Sunnybank and extending across to the coast in Redland Bay.
The struggle on the Gold Coast is part of a bigger picture of hardship across Queensland.
The society’s Queensland state vice-president Robert Leach, launching the charity’s Christmas appeal at St James College, Spring Hill, on November 15, said “thousands of Queenslanders struggle with basic needs like food, clothing and accommodation every day”.
“Last year we assisted 300,000 people, mostly people under 44 years of age, with financial and in-kind assistance,” Mr Leach said.
“Christmas is a stressful time for most people and the added pressures of not having enough money for food, power bills and petrol quickly wears people down.”
Mr Donaldson said escalating job losses, ever-increasing rents, transport and utility costs were mainly to blame.
“It’s unbelievable how many businesses have closed down on the Gold Coast these past six months – I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he said.
“In the past couple of weeks I’ve visited four or five people who’ve been made redundant.
“This time last year they were earning upwards of $50,000 – now they’re trying to get by on Newstart payments.”
Finding affordable rent was a “huge problem”.
“It’s not unusual to find people spending 50 or even 70 per cent of their income on rent,” Mr Donaldson said.
“Then there are utility costs such as power which are going up all the time.
“Unemployed people on benefits may be left with as little as $15 a week after they pay all these costs and food.
“How are they going to get themselves to job interviews or afford mobile phones to contact potential employers?”
The Gold Coast’s environment also brought its own particular challenges to the disadvantaged, Mr Donaldson said.
“There’s a real mental health crisis in the region,” he said.
“People often come here thinking life will be easier.
“Sometimes they’re coming here to escape depressing situations in other locations.
“But in fact because of higher cost of living expenses than many other places, things are often worse.
“These mental health problems are particularly serious in the case of parents.
“They are trying to bring up their kids but can’t cope with the stress.
“Sadly, they’ll often take it out on the kids.”
Mr Donaldson said the generosity of people responding to the crisis was “a bright spot”.
“Last night a group of Gold Coast real estate agents came to their annual awards event with Christmas presents to donate to the St Vincent de Paul Society.
“They gave most generously.
“The thing is a lot of them have been doing it tough in the current economic climate too.”
At the launch of the society’s Christmas appeal, Mr Leach said the generosity of the public was relied upon to ensure the society can give hope and some joy to unfortunate Queenslanders in crisis during the festive season.
“In Queensland, our goal is to raise $750,000 this Christmas to pass on to people in desperate need,” he said.
To donate to the Vinnies Christmas Appeal visit www.vinnies.org.au or call 13 18 12.
