Upper Yarra
Tuesday, 18 August, 2020
Bandicoots are back
Chemist says thanks
Stumps for cricket merger
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Charities step up By Jed Lanyon and Romy Stephens
Alison and Sheree in HICCI’s food pantry.
Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Ms Gommers said this may be due to people fearing they might contract the virus while also acknowledging the increase in welfare payments of JobSeeker compared to that of the Newstart allowance being a welcomed boost. The Newstart allowance provided $489.70
per fortnight for a single adult with no children, much less than the $1115.70 per fortnight on offer for the JobSeeker payment and coronavirus supplement from April. Ms Gommers anticipates there will be a large increase for support once the JobSeeker payment was lowered to about $800 per fort-
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night next month. Ms Gommers said she feared that people who didn’t typically need the support of HICCI prior to the pandemic may not reach out for the support they need, or that they may not be aware of how HICCI can help. Continued page 5
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High unemployment rates in Victoria are challenging local welfare and homeless support organisations as they cope with the increased demands of the coronavirus pandemic. Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service CEO Tania Bevan shared some of the issues faced by those in need. “Often people need assistance because they just quite haven’t got enough money to get by, but now they really haven’t got enough money to get by,” Ms Bevan said. “When the first wave came around there was panic buying and that meant people had to buy brand names rather than generic ones, which increased their grocery bills. People have had to buy masks now and hand sanitiser and these things, when you’re on a very limited budget, make a difference. “We’ve had people being home more so their utility costs have risen.” Other issues Ms Bevan said had been amplified during Covid-19 included a state-wide shortage of firewood, heightened stress levels within the community, as well as significant hardship for those who were homeless or on a visa. “It’s really hit the cohort of people who are homeless, it’s been very difficult,” she said. “People who are here on visas, they have no form of income whatsoever. Their level of need is very high, they have rent to pay, food to buy and they have no income.” Healesville Interchurch Community Care Inc (HICCI) executive officer Alison Gommers told Star Mail she believed more people were out there in need of help, but despite this, they have had less people come through their doors. “We’re still open but have found that not as many are coming in, even a lot of our regulars,” she said.