The gradual reduction to the federal government's JobSeeker coronavirus supplement is severely impacting the ability of those without work to afford to live.
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Demand for emergency relief services tripled in the weeks around Christmas, a Ballarat welfare agency reported, and the number of people seeking help is expected to increase following cuts to JobSeeker last week.
JobSeeker was lowered by $100 a fortnight on Friday meaning the supplement is now $150 a fortnight until the end of March, when it will return to it's previous rate of $40 a day.
Salvation Army Ballarat team leader John Clonan said the service assisted three times the number of people in the week before and after Christmas this year compared to the previous two years.
He said people receiving JobSeeker were among those receiving the most assistance, with others on the disability support pension, parenting payment and the age pension also seeking help.
I encourage people who may be struggling and under financial pressure to contact us and seek assistance.
- John Clonan, Salvation Army Ballarat
"With reduced supplements for JobSeeker and JobKeeper, we anticipate more demand in our emergency relief services and also that is paralleled with families preparing for back to school," Mr Clonan said.
"I encourage people who may be struggling and under financial pressure to contact us and seek assistance."
Salvation Army and other organisations including the Australian Council for Social Service has called for a permanent increase of JobSeeker to $65 a day.
The federal government had said the increased coronavirus payments were always designed to be a temporary measure and said it has focused on creating job opportunities with its JobMaker and JobTrainer scheme.
JobMaker is a scheme that pays businesses up to $200 a week for hiring people aged under 35 and JobTrainer subsidises training places.
Uniting Vic.Tas chief executive Bronwyn Pike said all the money invested in supporting people without jobs throughout COVID-19 had flowed back into the economy, as they spent it on the basics.
RELATED COVERAGE: Uncertainty on JobSeeker rate creates anxiety for the unemployed
Anglicare Ballarat community development coordinator Kim Boyd said she expected people would be anxious and worried about the continued reduction of JobSeeker creating 'unworkable budgets'.
"People were able to have a budget that was workable for them but will now have to go back to skipping meals and other things to make it work," she said.
"People have got loans and have to forgo loan payments. It has an escalating effect."
Ms Boyd said the service was seeing a different group of people who had never needed to rely on Centrelink payments before but now would have to live on even less.
"I think the whole community needs to look at how people on these payments can live and make it an amount that covers a realistic living cost with enough money to be able to purchase enough food over the week," she said.
"Whether that is increasing rent assistance or payments overall, or a combination of both. If your rent is taking three quarters of the income you get that leaves very little to cover food, rent, phone bills."
The average age of a Salvation Army Ballarat client is 46 and women are presenting up to three times more than men across all age groups, an analysis of data shows.
Of all Salvation Army clients in 2020, 25 per cent had presented to the service for the first time.
Salvation Army offers takeaway lunch meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays at its community church on Eureka Street.
Peopled experiencing financial difficulty are encouraged to contact 5337 0600 between 9.30am and 2pm Monday to Friday for other forms of assistance.
Anglicare Ballarat runs a free community breakfast Monday to Friday and an emergency relief food service. Contact 5333 0600.
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