More people than ever before will present to welfare agencies for support during the coronavirus pandemic, Ballarat services say.
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As thousands of people are facing unemployment, Centacare manager NDIS, homelessness and advocacy Virginia Louey wants everyone in the community to know support is available and they are not alone.
"There will be people accessing the supports that we provide who have never had to access any agency like us before," she said.
"There are people going to Centrelink who have never had to go to Centrelink before. It is a genuinely frightening time for people.
"Services like ours can provide support to people around where to go from here."
Ms Louey said Centacare was increasing its capacity to provide emergency relief in the form of food vouchers for people who are experiencing financial stress.
Knowledge is power and once people understand what is available to them they can start finding some meaningful answers to their situation.
- Virginia Louey, Centacare
She said people were being pushed beyond their budget because they could not purchase their regular food items at the supermarket.
"One client we have worked with for some time is really good at her budget and is very careful what she spends her money on," Ms Louey said.
"But every time she goes to the supermarket all the cheaper products have been sold and there are no specials, so her budget has been thrown out the window simply because she can't get what she needs.
"That is really difficult and I think it's probably a really common experience for a lot of people."
Centacare will continue providing support for people to secure or maintain housing and will also continue work at residential facility Peplow House.
Uniting Ballarat senior manager housing and homelessness Warrick Davison said he was expecting an increased demand on service, most likely from people who have never accessed community support before.
"There have been a large number of people impacted with job losses who may be placed under financial hardship and in turn rental stress," he said.
"There has been some limited extra funds come into the homelessness sector, and we will be doing our best to support those most in need."
One Ballarat resident is calling out for help after her plans to move interstate were disrupted by government responses to coronavirus, leaving her with nowhere to live.
Julianne's lease on her rental property will end on Friday, the day she had arranged to move to Queensland before the coronavirus hit.
She said the border restrictions and her high risk of becoming seriously ill if she contracted coronavirus due to a rare cancer diagnosis meant she was now stuck in Ballarat indefinitely, with nowhere to live.
A friend has offered Julianne space on her property in Skipton to live, and now she is desperately searching for a caravan to get by until the border restrictions are lifted.
Julianne is desperately trying to find a caravan to use, either by hiring it at an affordable price or lending one from someone who is not currently using theirs.
"We have no way of buying a caravan because both my son and I are on pensions," she said.
"At this stage we are looking like we will be sleeping in the car on Friday.
"The extra stress is not doing me good at all at the moment, it is making me sicker and sicker."
CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION:
Ms Louey said thousands of people who lose their income during the coronavirus outbreak would experience housing stress.
She encouraged residents having trouble paying their mortgage to contact their banks and people experiencing rental stress to contact their real estate agent or landlord.
The government has doubled the unemployment benefit, by introducing a new $550 a fortnight supplement, and has indicated more support is on the way.
The Prime Minister announced a moratorium on evictions on Sunday evening, meaning landlords will be banned from evicting renters who are impacted by the coronavirus for six months.
CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION:
- We're here and we always will be: The Courier's reporting of coronavirus
- What you should and shouldn't do if you're in coronavirus self-isolation
- How do I know if I have COVID-19?
- How many confirmed COVID-19 cases are there in Ballarat?
- Coronavirus: How many confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in Australia?
- Coronavirus in Victoria: confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19
Most of the banks are offering a freeze on mortgage repayments for up to six months and some relief is likely available on energy bills.
Ms Louey said she wanted everyone in the community to know support was available.
"If you have never had any engagement with support in the past, make the phone call and ask 'where can I go from here?'," she said.
"Any of the agencies will be able to provide some advice around that. Knowledge is power and once people understand what is available to them they can start finding some meaningful answers to their situation.
"We are fortunate in Ballarat to have some great services. We don't want people left alone and frightened and we want people to know there are some supports."
If you think you can help Julianne with her search for a caravan, you can contact her via email: cohayes15@gmail.com.
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