THE MANY FACES OF POVERTY - wmq.org.au · PDF fileshines a light on the many faces of poverty in 2014 – from an experience dominated by older men to one where women, families and

A month in the life of Wesley Mission Brisbane’s Emergency Relief Service

THE MANY FACES OF POVERTY:

DECEMBER 2014

Acknowlegements:A report for Wesley Mission Brisbane by The University of QueenslandHousing and Urban Studies Research Network (UQ HAUS) Delivered 25th November 2014

UQ HAUS Team members Dr Peter Walters (team leader)Associate Professor Lynda CheshireDr Laurel JohnsonDr Sonia Roitman

Ms Charlotte ten Have (project coordinator)

Volunteer interviewers:Ms Jean CarmanMs Stephanie RaymondMs Solvor SlevelandMr Reden Recio

With thanks to: We would like to thank Moroni Pugh, Tye Shepherd and the staff and volunteers at the Wesley Mission Emergency Relief Centre for their wonderful guidance, cooperation and friend-ship.

We would also like to thank the clients of Emergency Relief Centre for so freely agreeing to talk to us and share their stories. We hope that we can make a small contribution to improving their lives.

Media enquiries:Media enquiries about this report should be directed to the Communications team, Wesley Mission Brisbane, on (07) 3621 4520.

A month in the life of Wesley Mission Brisbane’s Emergency Relief Service

THE MANY FACES OF POVERTY:

Who we are Wesley Mission Brisbane is a leading Queensland not for profit organisation that has been supporting people in need for more than 100 years. Our Vision is for a compassionate, just and inclusive society for all.

What we doOur work across aged care, community support programs, child care and employment services touches the lives of more than 100,000 people every year. In all that we do, we strive to be a welcoming, caring and inclusive community that celebrates diversity and responds compassionately and creatively to the needs of others.

Get involved and support WMB today WMB and our community of supporters and donors share a Vision for a compassionate, just and inclusive society for all. Your support is vital to help us support people in need with emergency relief food parcels, free community meals, and supported accommodation for people living with disability and mental illness. Through your donations, volunteering and actions you are helping to raise awareness of WMB and making a difference in the lives of vulnerable people.

DonateWe rely heavily on private donations to fund many of our community service programs, like Emergency Relief. Donate now www.wmb.org.au or phone 07 3621 4679

VolunteerAs a volunteer with us you have the chance to make a difference every day. From supporting people with disabilities, packing food hampers at Emergency Relief or socialising with the elderly contact us today to discuss how you can start your volunteering journey. www.wmb.org.au or phone 07 3621 4669

Corporate Engagement There are many simple ways your organisation can achieve its corporate social responsibility goals. From sponsoring Go Cards for young people in our supported accommodation communities or hosting a corporate breakfast, contact us today to discuss how you can get involved with WMB www.wmb.org.au or phone 07 3621 4679.

ShareShare this report with your colleagues, friends, family and networks to spread the word about the changing nature of poverty in our City and how we can work together to eliminate the scourge of poverty from our community.

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Wesley Mission Brisbane: The many faces of poverty 5

The report is a rich collection of client experiences which provide an important foundation for discussions about policy and practice recommendations for other community service organisations, the corporate community, governments and policy makers.

Wesley Mission Brisbane’s Emergency Relief Service has been supporting people on the margins of our community since 1985. Beginning with the distribution of food hampers, the service has diversified to meet the changing needs of the homeless community and those at-risk of homeless-ness; now proving a range of support services for people living with disadvantage.

The staff who walk with these people on their journey see the lasting consequences of inadequate housing support, rising unemployment, domestic violence and mental health concerns. They know all too well the stories that weave a tapestry of desperate need throughout this report.

It is clear that many people fall into a state of poverty and disadvantage through a series of different trajectories and unexpected events. The report shows that unemployment, housing affordability, inadequate welfare payments and mental illness are the overwhelming reasons why clients find themselves seeking support from ER.

There is a strong sense among all clients of embarrassment at their circumstances: these people wish they didn’t have to turn to services like ER to make ends meet. As one of the wealthiest nations in the world, it is appalling to see the rising rates of people accessing ER and living on a knife edge; deciding between food and the electricity bill.

These people have endless reserves of resilience and determination to make a decent life for themselves and their families, if given the right support and opportunities. All people deserve the right to have access to a safe and affordable shelter, food and basic necessities – not to live

on a tightrope of worry, embarrassment and despair like Desiree and her two children.

As the research clearly highlights there is an urgent need for sensible conversations about policy reform in the areas of housing affordability, welfare payments, mental health and psychiatric disability support and safe housing for women seeking refugee from domestic violence.

These stories prove poverty is not one dimensional; it weaves its way insidiously through families, workplaces and the community leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

This problem isn’t just for governments to fix; we all have a stake in this. Collectively as a community, our attention needs to turn to how best to manage this changing nature of poverty, to avoid rising suicide rates and generational cycles of poverty; our future and the fabric of our community wellbeing depends on it.

The current trajectory of Australia’s economic and social policies means that demand for our Emergency Relief Services will only continue to rise. We are determined to do all that we can to meet that challenge and transition our services accordingly. We urge other community organisations, the corporate community and policy makers to do the same.

I would like to thank the research team from the University of Queensland Housing and Urban Studies Research Network, Emergency Relief staff and their clients who openly shared their experiences and views.

Geoff BatkinExecutive Director

Foreward

The stereotypical image of a middle aged man living under a bridge is no longer representative of the face of poverty in Australia. This inaugural research report, The many faces of poverty: a month in the life of Wesley Mission Brisbane’s Emergency Relief Service in Fortitude Valley conducted by The University of Queensland Housing and Urban Studies Research Network shines a light on the many faces of poverty in 2014 – from an experience dominated by older men to one where women, families and children are now a significant proportion of ER’s clients.

Wesley Mission Brisbane: The many faces of poverty 76 Wesley Mission Brisbane: The many faces of poverty

Executive Summary

The many faces of poverty: a month in the life of Wesley Mission Brisbane’s Emergency Relief Service in Fortitude Valley, conducted by The University of Queensland Housing and Urban Studies Research Network, found despite decades of economic growth in Australia and the Queensland mining boom, poverty in Brisbane is rising.

The numbers of clients accessing Wesley Mission Brisbane’s (WMB) Emergency Relief (ER) Service is increasing at unprecedented rates. In order to learn more about this deeply concerning trend researchers spent a month observing the various activities of ER and interviewing 188 clients as they visited the ER to make use of the different services on offer.

This resulting report is a rich collection of client experiences that show families living on a knife edge choosing between food on the table and the electricity bill; single mothers caught in the trap between working and reduced parenting payments and previously successful men and women falling into poverty as a result of mental illness brought about by a lifetime of abuse and neglect at the hands of parents or partners.

These case studies prove that poverty is not one dimensional and WMB is determined to resource ER to meet this rising challenge. This report provides an important base for discussions for policy and practice recommendations for other community service organisations, the corporate community, governments and policy makers. Desiree’s* children and our future generations depend on us to act now.

Key findings:

The current trajectory of Australia’s economic and social policies means that demand for Emergency Relief will continue to riseTo November 2014, more than 5,300 people have visited Emergency Relief for support in the form of food parcels and rental assistance. However, many visits to the ER, where clients only take a sandwich or fruit, are not recorded in the ER database. If these numbers were included, the total visits to the ER would be at least twice as large. On any given day ER distributes on average 60 sandwiches, water bottles or fruit to people dropping in on top of the regular food par-cels. Based on these increasing numbers, compared to last year, and the political and economic realities in Australia, the demand for this service will only increase.

Housing affordability is the key driver of poverty for Emergency Relief clients.The report revealed that housing affordability is the key driver of poverty among ER clients. Of the people accessing the service over 65% identified rent as the single biggest expen-diture, with many having no surplus money by the end of a fortnight after paying rent.

Newstart allowance was insufficient for most clients to meet basic needsOf the clients interviewed, 90% were unemployed on the day they were interviewed. Those who were looking for work were reliant on the Newstart allowance from Centrelink, currently capped at $515.00 a fortnight for a single person. Many reported being only one pay check away from spiralling into poverty. Of those surveyed 60% said they did not have enough money to meet their basic needs each week while a further 20% indicated that they barely managed.

A majority of clients experience poverty in the middle years of life, when most of the population are consolidating wealth and personal relationshipsOf the clients interviewed, 77% were between the ages of 30 and 60. This part of the life stage is recognised as ‘mature adulthood,’ a time when most adults could be expected to be consolidating careers, building wealth for retirement and raising families. This cohort, in comparison to the population of greater Brisbane is over-represented at WMB ER, meaning that the majority of ER clients are facing poverty and, in most cases, social isolation during a crucial phase of the life course. Of those clients interviewed 27% were between 50 and 69 years of age. Premature retirement brought about by ill-health, income loss through bereavement and unemployment brought about by a lack of current skills can all conspire to pull older people into poverty even when their lives have previously been relatively comfortable.

A significant proportion of ER clients would go hungry without ER and similar servicesMost of the 188 clients interviewed reported “not having eaten much” in the last 24 hours. Of those clients 60% were visiting ER to obtain some sort of food, either in the form of lunch packs and food on the counter which is available daily, or the food parcels which are only available to clients three times a year, and require clients to provide identification and register with the service. In the interviews, food was the principal reason for people using ER with many saying that without the service, and other similar services in the area, they would be forced to go without food for at least a portion of the welfare fortnight.

ER has a well developed expertise in the care of at-risk menPoverty and disadvantage manifest differently for men and women in Australia. As a rule, women tend to be more susceptible to poverty than men due to a number of factors such as wage inequality, greater numbers of women doing unpaid work, such as caring, and the often inequitable economic outcomes resulting from relationship breakdown. After indigenous Australians, single women with children are the most impoverished demographic in Australian soci-ety. However, it was men who were more prevalent in the sample of interviewees than women. We interviewed 48 female, 139 male and one transgender client. This is likely to be as a result of Emergency Relief’s inner city location. Low cost accommodation in the inner city tends to be limited to single rooms and very small apartments, mostly unsuitable for women caring for children, who tend to live in larger low cost housing in the outer metropolitan areas, such as in the cities of Logan and Ipswich.


ABOUT THIS REPORT 10

RESEARCH METHODS 11

Survey design 11

Ethical considerations: researching vulnerable populations 11

Conducting the interviews 12

CLIENT PROFILE 13

Age cohort 13

Gender 14

Family status 15

Work, welfare and income 18

FALLING INTO POVERTY: DIFFERENT TRAJECTORIES 20

LIVING ON THE EDGE AND MAKING ENDS MEET 25

Housing 26

USING WMB ER SERVICES 30

Service Access and Catchment 30

Reasons for visiting emergency relief 32

What if WMB ER was not here? 33

IMPROVING WMB ER 35

Why clients appreciate WMB ER 35

CONCLUSION 37

‘

Contents

LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND APPENDICES

Tables

Table 1: Provision of service to clients in 2014 at the Emergency Relief Centre 10

Table 2: How long have you been visiting the ER? 14

Table 3: How often do you visit the ER? 14

Table 4: Top 7 Suburbs of origin for Emergency Relief clients 30

Table 5: Breakdown (percent) of services used according to gender on day of interview 33

Figures

Figure 1. Age profile of WMB ER clients 13

Figure 2. Gender profile of WMB ER clients 14

Figure 3: Employment status 18

Figure 4: Centrelink benefits 18

Figure 5: Ability to meet basic needs 25

Figure 6: Main regular expenses for clients 25

Figure 7: Client accommodation types 26

Figure 8: Wesley Mission Brisbane Emergency Relief Service Catchments 31

Figure 9: Reasons for visiting emergency relief 32

Appendices

Appendix A: Survey 38

Appendix B: Participant Information Sheet 42

Appendix C: Informed Consent Form 43


About this report Research methods

In October and November 2014, researchers and volunteers from the Housing and Urban Studies network at The University of Queensland (UQ) conducted a research study on behalf of Wesley Mission Brisbane (WMB). The project was funded by WMB to assist with fundraising, advocacy and service improvement. The principal research questions guiding the study were:

1. What are people’s immediate/emergency needs?

2. Who accesses ER in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, family profile and housing and employment status?

3. How often do people access ER within any given time period?

4. What difference does Emergency Relief actually make to people’s lives? What are the background stories? If the service did not exist, what might otherwise happen?

The research by UQ took place at the WMB Emergency Relief Centre (ER) in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane and was designed to capture the activities of the centre, from the perspective of its clients, during the study period. With the close cooperation of the staff and volunteers at the ER, the research team conducted interviews with 188 clients as they visited the ER to make use of the different services on offer.

The ER has been operating since 1985 and has been located at its current Fortitude Valley address for three years. The ER is a very busy facility; using the ER’s own data, Table 1 provides a summary of how the ER has been used over the last year by clients. Although there are 5320 occasions of service recorded, many visits to the ER, where clients only take a sandwich or fruit, are not recorded in this database. If these numbers were included, the total visits to the ER would be at least twice as large. Table 1: Provision of service to clients in 2014 at WMB

ER1

Service Frequency

Number of different clients supported 2234

Male clients 63

Female clients 37

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander 9

Females with dependent children 601

Males with dependent children 310

Discrete provisions of service (not including unrecorded drop-ins)

5320

Food hampers provided 3216

Prescriptions filled 646

This report is designed to provide WMB with the central findings of our research and analysis over the course of the project and the 188 interviews we conducted with clients. In the remainder of this report, we concentrate on the data from those interviews. The report is divided into sections, which provide first, a description of the research methods we employed including the special measures taken for research of with a vulnerable population. We will then present our research findings as a combination of qualitative and quantitative data and commentary, according as closely as possible with the research questions provided to us by WMB before the project commenced and following the interim report presented to WMB during the project.

With the aim of the research being to identify the characteristics of clients who visit WMB ER in Fortitude Valley and the services they use, the study needed to obtain data directly from the clients themselves. As outlined below, there were certain ethical considerations for researching people who may be vulnerable, as well as a research strategy that would not interfere with the day-to-day work of the centre or the high levels of trust that had been built up between WMB ER staff/volunteers and their clients.

Survey design

A short questionnaire was designed with two components. The first focussed on the clients themselves, such as their demographic details, their living arrangements and their financial situation, while the second asked questions about how they use the services of WMB ER and what improvements, if any, might be required. Most of the questions were designed as fixed-response questions to assist with analysis although some more open-ended, qualitative style questions were included for participants to provide further detail if they wished. The interview schedule is included as Annex B. Rather than have clients fill out the survey themselves, the survey was administered by a member of the research team. Alongside the UQ academic staff, the research team included the project coordinator, Charlotte ten Have, along with four volunteer interviewers, all of whom were UQ social science Masters or PhD students. The survey was also circulated among WMB ER staff who gave advice on the wording of particular questions. A test of the survey on Day 1 lead to minor re-ordering of the questions and the addition of several new response categories for specific questions.

Ethical considerations: researching vulnerable populations

Before the study could commence, it required ethical clearance from the ethics review boards of both UQ and WMB. Client welfare was the highest priority and this influenced the design and execution of the study in several ways. First, as with all studies involving human participants, it was imperative that clients were fully informed of the nature of the study so that they could make a fully informed deci-sion on whether or not to participate. A participant informa-

tion sheet was prepared in everyday language (Attachment B) and clients were given the opportunity to ask questions before the interview commenced.

Second was the issue of participant confidentiality and privacy. Participants were given the option of requesting that their identities not be disclosed. In a survey of this kind, it is common for data to be aggregated and individuals not to be identified. However, the inclusion of qualitative data in the form of quotes and life stories meant that any participants wanting to remain anonymous were given a pseudonym in place of their own name. At the same time, we were also mindful of the fact that some clients may wish to be identified and to ‘own’ their stories so we gave each interviewee several options. If they agreed to participate they could either: a) choose to remain anonymous and potentially be given a pseudonym; b) be named in any final report or other published output from the research; and/or c) have their photograph taken for inclusion in any published material. An informed consent form was provided for clients to record their preference (Annex C).

Of the 188 clients surveyed, 88 elected to remain anonymous and 97 said they were willing to be named (three did not specify so were de-identified). Of those who agreed to be named, 52 also agreed to have their photographs taken. This receptiveness to being identified was quite unexpected but was indicative of the extent to which clients embraced the study, which in turn reflected their eagerness to ‘give something back’ to WMB ER. In the final report, actual names are used where permission has been granted. In cases where people preferred to remain anonymous, real names have been substituted with a pseudonym and this is denoted with an asterisk (*).

Finally, there was awareness that the study should not make clients feel uncomfortable or reluctant to access WMB ER services. This was addressed in two ways. First, it was agreed that the research team would not directly approach clients themselves, but would wait for WMB staff and volunteers to invite clients to complete the survey once they had accessed the service they came for. This was a requirement of UQ’s ethical review

1 The data in this table have been drawn from the ER own database on client service during the 12 months to November 2014. In the remainder of the report we will use data from the 188 interviews we conducted in October and November 2014.


process and it allowed Wesley staff and volunteers to use their knowledge and judgment about clients to discern whether it was appropriate to approach them for an interview. It was recognised that some clients, for example, might be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while others may be particularly distressed and vulnerable. Asking them to complete a survey in these circumstances would have been inappropriate and insensitive. To ensure clients knew that they were still welcome at WMB ER, even if they refused to participate in the study, it was made clear in the information sheet and verbal explanation of the study that refusal to participate, or withdrawal from the research, would have no impact on their future ability to visit, or utilise the services, of WMB ER.

Conducting the interviews

The interviews were scheduled to take place from mid October to mid November 2014 and the initial aim was to complete 100 surveys. This figure had been calculated on the basis that clients should be compensated for their time and a $10 Woolworths gift voucher was to be offered to each client who completed a survey. WMB ER calculated that it could afford to purchase 100 vouchers. However, the response rate for the survey was much higher than anticipated and the 100 response target was reached within seven days. It was subsequently decided that we should aim for 200 surveys and more vouchers were purchased. In the end, we stopped just short of 200, collecting 188 responses and the data collection finished on 5 November 2014.

Interviews were held in the reception area of WMB ER and occasionally outside. Each interview lasted between 15 and 30 minutes with longer interviews conducted when clients were willing to expand on their circumstances beyond the confines of the structured questions. The less structured comments by clients form the basis of our qualitative thematic commentary in the pages that follow. Clients were remarkably willing to be interviewed. The consensus among WMB ER staff and interviewers was this willingness could be attributed to the incentive of the voucher, but also that the interviews were introduced to clients as way that they could make a contribution to WMB ER. The high regard which clients hold the WMB ER will

be discussed later in the report. Only in limited cases (on average three per day) did WMB ER staff not recommend a client for interview. Of those approached, some declined to participate, usually on the basis that they did not have time but may return another day, and indeed some did. A list was made of all those interviewed to ensure that no clients returned for a repeat interview.

The process of conducting the study proved highly effective and while WMB ER staff and volunteers were initially cautious, there was general agreement that it had not been disruptive to the day-to-day work of the centre. This was largely thanks to the induction that the researchers had completed under the supervision of the centre management, but also due to the professionalism of the researchers and their willingness to blend in with daily life. When there were no interviews being conducted, the researchers assisted with the work of the centre, such as preparing food and putting together food parcels. They also participated in the de-brief activity at the end of the day, reflecting alongside WMB ER staff and volunteers about the events of the day and their reactions to what had occurred. For many of the researchers, working with disadvantaged and potentially vulnerable people was a new experience and the opportunity to reflect on this in a group setting was appreciated.

In undertaking this research, it must be acknowledged that the study would not have been possible without the generous input of WMB ER clients, or without the help and advice provided by staff and volunteers.

Age cohort

Figure 1 provides a breakdown of the ages of clients who participated in our project. The various age cohorts show a concentration in ages in between 30 and 60. This part of the life stage is recognised as ‘mature adulthood’, a time when most adults could be expected to be consolidating careers,

building wealth for retirement and raising families. This cohort, in comparison to the population of greater Brisbane is over-represented at WMB ER, meaning that the majority of WMB ER clients are facing poverty and, in most cases, social isolation during a crucial phase of the life course.

Figure 1. Age profile of WMB ER clients

While the number of older people visiting WMB ER is smaller, the chart in Figure 1 shows that the age profile of WMB ER clients is positively skewed towards those in the later stages of their lives. Premature retirement brought about by ill-health, income loss through bereavement and unemployment brought about by a lack of current skills can all conspire to pull older people into poverty even when their lives have previously been relatively comfortable. This is evident in the stories of both Virginia* and Thomas*, two of WMB ER’s older clients who have come to rely on WMB ER’s services to get by:

Client profile

The researchers on duty at WMB ER called 65-year-old Thomas ‘the Runner’ on the day they met him because he had just run the 7km distance between his home in Nundah and Fortitude Valley to visit WMB ER for a food parcel, despite the hot weather. Thomas has a dual degree in commerce and law and works two hours per week as an accountant for a friend, but otherwise relies on the aged pension for his income. With a fortnightly rent of $700 per

week, Thomas said that he rarely has enough money to make ends meet and often relies on food parcels and rent assistance to get by. He reflected that no one is immune from struggles and added ‘I’m highly educated but I still need this help because it’s so hard for someone my age to get full time work. They want people who have skills that I don’t have’.

Thomas

Virginia visited WMB ER to obtain a food hamper on the day we met her. Now in her 70s with grandchildren and great grandchildren, Virginia, says she was happily married for over 40 years but her husband passed away more than 23 years ago. She said that she has not been happy since he died and feels that she would never have had to ask for assistance if he was still alive. Virginia lives in a mobile village and said she just about has enough money to get by ‘as long as nothing silly happens’, but she often lends money to her grandchildren, which leaves her short.

Virginia

5

18-25 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45


Gender

Poverty and disadvantage manifest differently for men and women in Australia. As a rule, women tend to be more susceptible to poverty than men due to a number of factors such as wage inequality, greater numbers of women doing unpaid work, such as caring, and the often inequitable economic outcomes resulting from relationship breakdown. After indigenous Australians, single women with children are the most impoverished demographic in Australian society.

However, it was men who were most prevalent in our sample of interviewees. Figure 2 represents the gendered breakdown of clients at WMB ER. We interviewed 48 female, 139 male and one transgender client.

Figure 3. Gender profile of WMB ER clients

The fact that such a high proportion of the study sample at WMB ER were men is likely to be a result of its inner city location. Low cost accommodation in the inner city tends to be limited to single rooms and very small apartments, mostly unsuitable for women caring for children, who tend to live in larger low cost housing in the outer metropolitan areas, such as in the cities of Logan and Ipswich. The sections that follow expand further on the gendered dimension of challenges facing clients and their families.

There was no real pattern of difference between genders in terms of how they used the service at WMB ER. Duration of use (Figure 3); and how often clients access various services (Figure 4) is displayed in the figures below.

Table2: How long have you been visiting the WMB ER?

Length of time Female Male Total

First time 17 14 15

<1 month 4 6 5

1-6 months 10 17 13

6-12 months 27 17 22

1-5 years 27 38 33

>5 years 8 5 7

(no entry) 6 3 5

Total percent 100 100 100

Table 3: How often do you visit the WMB ER?

Row Labels Female Male Av. Total

Every day 8 17 12

Once a week 8 11 10

2-3 days a week 19 18 18

Once fortnight 4 6 5

Once a month 15 9 12

Other 29 20 25

Several times a year

8 4 6

No entry 8 14 11

Total percent 100 100 100

Family status

When asked if they were supporting anyone, just over 57% of all respondents said they were not supporting anyone else. Of the 139 men interviewed 49% indicated that they lived alone while 58% indicated that they were not support-ing anyone. Among the women, the majority (54%) said they lived alone and 52% had no immediate caring roles.

The remaining 33%2 identified their support obligations as follows:

• Children only (19%)• Children and partners (8.5%)• Partners only (0.5%)• Other, including friends, siblings & extended kin (5.6%)

The stories that clients shared illustrate that children are not immune to the risks of homelessness and disadvantage even though their parents try to protect them from this. The stories below from Shaun and Ngaire are indicative of the challenges families face, particularly in securing affordable and stable accommodation, and especially when families are large. During her interview, Ngaire, a Maori woman from New Zealand spoke at length about the difficulties she faced in housing her large family, often because of reluctance among landlords and estate agents to rent homes to them. For Ngaire, the solution had been to share a property with another Pacific Island family, but this had lead to them being evicted.

Shaun came into WMB ER with one of his sons to check the place out as they were walking past. He and his wife, along with five of their six children have just moved into a new rental home down the street after experiencing homelessness for the last four weeks. They moved from Victoria to Brisbane in early 2014 after being evicted from their rental home for falling into arrears on their rent. The family subsequently relocated to Brisbane to stay with a friend of Shaun’s wife who had told them there was plenty of

work in Brisbane. The arrangement did not work out well so they moved out to sub-lease a social housing property from the tenant who turned violent on them. The family then became homeless and was accommodated in various forms of temporary shelter for a while. Shaun said he was desperate to find work and felt that he had failed his family by not being able to take care of them. But with a new family home – albeit one without furniture or a fridge – he felt that things had finally take a turn for the better.

2 10% did not respond to this question

Shaun

FemaleMaleTransgender


Desiree is a mother in her 20s with two children and two pets. She works as a personal assistant but finds that her parenting payments are cut so much as a result of her employment that she is worse off than if she did not work at all. She said this is particularly difficult when she or the children are sick because she does not get paid and ends up with less than $100 per fortnight to support them. On the day we met Desiree, she was visiting WMB ER for the second time in order to obtain a food parcel. In the lead up to Christmas, Desiree was beginning to worry about how

she would man-age and was grateful to WMB ER for the promise of a Christmas hamper. She was keen to protect her children from the harsh realities of her life, saying ‘I don’t want my children to know anything about this life’.

Anna is aged in her 40s and visited WMB ER with her eight year old son, Joseph. Anna said that she had once been very been very affluent but her marriage had broken up and her ex-husband had denied her access to any assets or does not provide her with child support. At the time of her interview she was going through an acrimonious financial settlement with her ex-husband and much of her Newstart and family allowance payments were swallowed up in legal fees. Anna was working for two days per week at her son’s school but still found there is little left after paying

her rent and court costs. As well as accessing WMB ER food parcels, Anna said WMB had also helped pay for her prescription costs on two occasions – something she would have otherwise gone without. She is fairly positive about the future, though, and said that life is hard but not impossible, and at least she is not on the streets. She is also very excited to learn of the WMB ER Christmas hampers and presents for children and said it was comforting to know that her son would not have to go without this year.

Among those supporting children, 29% did not live with their children. These were overwhelmingly men and their circumstances are likely to be the result of a relationship breakdown. But they appeared keen to support their children wherever possible, even if they were unable to pay child support at that time. Several of the men we spoke to see their children at weekends and had dropped into WMB ER to collect a food parcel so that their children would have something to eat.

Penny arrived in Australia from New Zealand in early 2000. He lives in a local boarding house but goes to stay with his mum occasionally. He has two children, aged four and six, who stay with him on weekends and he plays guitar in a local band. He wants to study for a diploma of community service and is looking for work to facilitate this. In the

meantime, he volunteers at the Salvation Army’s nearby Street level Mission. Penny finds that he can just about meet his basic needs, but says he finds it ‘a bit of a struggle’ to support his kids. Penny visited WMB ER because he was low on cash for groceries and needed a food parcel for when his children came that weekend.

Women also supported children as sole parents, with or without financial support from the children’s fathers. In some cases, they had found themselves in poverty as a result of a relationship breakdown and subsequently struggled to combine their parenting responsibilities with employment. Single mothers who were willing to share their stories reported taking on casual or part-time work, but this either lead to their child care payments being cut, or were insufficient in changing their situation. This was exemplified clearly by Desiree*, in the story below, but also by Anna* whose life had changed dramatically as a result of an acrimonious marriage breakup. In both cases, the wom-en were visiting WMB ER for a food parcel, but also learnt about the WMB ER Christmas hampers and gifts for children, as described below.

Single mothers like Desiree* and Anna* reported being torn between working and having child care payments cut

Desiree*

Penny

Anna*

Ngaire*

Ngaire is a Maori woman from New Zealand who now lives in Brisbane with her husband and six children, all aged between four and twelve. On the day we met Ngaire, she and her family were in the middle of moving into a new rental house in Ipswich and needed a food parcel to fill the fridge. Prior to that Ngaire and her family had been living in a private rental property with another family but the landlord had evicted them on the basis that there were too many people there. With nowhere else to go, they had ended up

in community housing for a few months. Ngaire said it was very difficult to find landlords or real estate agents who were willing to rent to large families and very few hostels could accommodate them either, which made it hard for them to keep the family together. As New Zealand citizens, aside from receiving family tax benefit, Ngaire and her family received no other financial assistance and she was hoping to return to work once her youngest son started school.


Work, welfare and income

Of the clients we interviewed, ninety percent were unemployed on the day they were interviewed (Figure 3). As Figure 4 illustrates, of those who were unemployed, 59 percent were not looking for work and the majority of these had qualified for a Disability Support Pension from Centrelink

(Figure 6). Those who were looking for work were reliant on the smaller Newstart allowance from Centrelink, currently capped at $515.00 a fortnight for a single person. The DSP is slightly more generous at $776.00 a fortnight.

Clients on a DSP were often reluctant to disclose the nature of their disability, and it was not a scheduled question, but of those who did, many described a psychiatric disability such as anxiety, schizophrenia, depression, post traumatic stress disorder or psychosis. These were often compounded by the difficult situation in which clients found themselves, particularly in cases where they had been victims of crime and/or abuse, as Grant’s story below illustrates:

Figure 4: Centrelink benefits

Figure 3: Employment status

Grant was in a bad way when he visited WMB ER. He lives alone in a small studio flat in Kangaroo Point, which he rents from a community housing provider. His flat was recently broken into and the burglars took food from his fridge, plates from his cupboard and even his curtains. While Grant said he only just got by at the best of times, the break-in had left him with nothing to eat and he had walked to WMB ER to try to get some food. A former alcoholic who suffers from depression, Grant became tearful as he described how life was at a real low point but he was grateful to WMB ER for its help, commenting that the ‘people here are great’.

5

No DSP New start Refugee allowance

Family Tax

Bene�t

Retired Youth allowance

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

OtherParenting payment

No entry

Not working / not looking for workWorkingNot working but looking for work

Grant


Regardless of which Centrelink payment clients were accessing, many struggled to make ends meet during each payment period. From the accounts of research partici-pants, those visiting WMB ER fall into a state of poverty and disadvantage through a series of different trajectories and unexpected events.

First are those who appear to have experienced a lifetime of poverty, marginalisation and trauma, beginning in childhood, which set them on a spiral of homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse and mental health problems. Those who were willing to share their stories about how they came to visit WMB ER often spoke about a difficult family situation from a young age – usually at the hands of a violent father or step-father – and of leaving home early to escape the abuse. Invariably, this set them on a path of a precarious life, moving between street living, boarding houses and, occa-

sionally, correctional facilities. This trajectory appeared to be more typical among men, but only insofar as men appeared more willing to disclose this information. Among the women who had been living in a precarious state, however, there were accounts of domestic violent coupled with drug and alcohol abuse resulting in the loss of jobs, homes and contact with children.

Some of those in this situation were now in their 40s, which suggested they have been living hard lives for several decades. In many cases though, there was still an element of hope and aspiration in getting life ‘back on track’, looking for work, securing more stable accommodation and re-establishing connection with children. The stories of John, Tyler* and Kyle* are indicative of the kind of circumstances that often bring people into the WMB ER:

Falling into poverty: different trajectories

John is in his 40s and lives in a boarding house in Spring Hill. He is on a disability pension. John had an extremely difficult childhood as a result of being beaten regularly by his father and stepfather. As an adult, he also had a series of serious accidents which have subsequently left him with depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Recently, however, John has been reunited with his own son after being apart for 15 years. He is trying to get his life sorted and misses his job as an aged carer. He says he will try to find work again.

Kyle is 31 years old and identifies as a quarter Aboriginal. He described his family background as ‘difficult’ due to an ‘awful’ stepfather. As a result, Kyle started smoking cannabis at a young age and became addicted to methamphetamines at the age of 16. By the time he was 19 he had a heroin addition. Kyle spent most of his youth moving between correctional facilities, boarding houses and the streets and says his life has been ‘on the edge’ of drugs and homelessness for over a decade. He

came out of prison in September after being charged with breaching his parole but was unable to find anywhere to live. In the last three weeks, Kyle has been sleeping rough but he secured a room at the Pindari men’s hostel only the night before we met him. Accommodation is only temporary at Pindari so Kyle intends to use his time there to reorient himself and plan his future. He said he would eventually like to get his own place but needs to find work first.

Rash is a man in his 30s from India with a Masters degree he completed in Sweden. He has been in Australia for 3 years and is not an Australian citizen yet. He used to work for a mining company in Perth and an oil and gas company in Brisbane, but he has been unemployed for a year and is looking for a job. He says he learnt about WMB ER through the Internet: ‘I searched for homeless assistance. I put free food for homeless in Brisbane on Google’.

In other cases, people suddenly find themselves needing WMB ER following an unexpected life event that threw them into poverty. The most frequent event is job loss, but people also told stories of marital breakdown, bereavement or ill health. The story of Rash, below, illustrates that the risk of

poverty following job loss is not restricted to those on unskilled or poorly-paid employment, but equally affects those in processional occupations with university degrees. The stories of Rash* and Neil, below, illustrate this.

Family violence led to Tyler leaving home at the age of eight after he witnessed his father killing his sister. Tyler is now in his 30s and has been living on the streets and in boarding houses ever since.

John

Kyle

Rash

Tyler


In many cases it seems that people are able to cope with one big change in their lives, but a second unexpected crisis makes it much harder to bounce back and this is the point at which people appear to descend into poverty. For Neil, below, it was the loss of his job following bereavement

that now prevented him from meeting his family’s most basic needs. Michael, on the other hand, had given up work when his partner became sick but the end of their relationship subsequently rendered him homeless.

Some clients reflected on the way their lives had turned out, remarking that they never thought they would ever be in a situation to need emergency relief. Marek*, a Polish man in his 60s had deteriorating health which prevented him from

working and has left him with insufficient money each week to meet his basic needs once his rent and bills had been paid. In his first visit to WMB ER to collect a food parcel, Marek* said:

Finally there are those living on low incomes, including unemployment benefits or a disability allowance, who say they are usually able to make ends meet, even if it is a struggle. Of those surveyed, for example, 19% (said they did have enough money to meet their basic needs each week while a further 18% indicated that they ‘barely’ managed. What generally threw them, though, was a large or unantic-

ipated expenditure such as larger than expected bill or an annual event such as a child’s birthday or a vehicle regis-tration payment. On these occasions, the bills get paid, but there is little money remaining and food is the first thing to go, leaving people wholly reliant on WMB ER food parcels. The experiences of Bill, a father of six, and Jill, a single woman on a disability pension, illustrate this below:

Neil is in his ‘40s and is a single dad to two young children aged 9 and 12. He lost his wife as a result of complications when she gave birth to their second child. Neil’s career as a project manager with a civil engineering company came to an end recently and he is now unemployed, although actively looking for work. When Neil visited WMB ER to collect a food hamper, he described how he had sent out 59 job applications in the last 28 days in an effort to find work. He said he had always been able to take care of his family but was no longer able to meet even their most basic needs.

Michael is in his 30s and worked as a plasterer but was forced to leave his job some years ago when his former partner became ill and he needed to care for her and their children. When the relationship recently broke down, Michael was forced to leave because the house was not his. He has been living intermittently in boarding houses and on the streets ever since. He explained how much he loves his children and how this motivates him to turn his life around and find work so that when he has things sorted out, he will be able to apply for joint custody of them.

Bill has a partner and six children. They live a distance from the emergency relief centre on the north side of Brisbane where they rent a home. He and his partner and two of their children caught the bus to the Valley today as Bill has an interview for a factory job. They have come to the emergency relief centre to get a food parcel. Bill said he doesn’t like to use the service very much because ‘we know other people need it more than we do’. Bill had an electricity bill and several children’s birthdays at the same time. He says they usually have enough money for food and rent and bills but that ‘there is nothing left over’ so when expenses come at the same time, they run out of food.

Neil

Michael

Bill

“you never think something like this will happen to you … I did not think I would ever have to go to a place like this”.


Figure 5 shows that many WMB ER clients fail to meet their weekly needs from the income they receive – hence their need for emergency support. As outlined earlier, a smaller proportion reported that they can make ends meet, even if only barely, but that unexpected expenditures often throw them off track and they need extra support.

Figure 5: Ability to meet basic needs

As detailed in Figure 6 the three largest expenditures for clients were rent, food and bills, and this would be typical for most households. But the complex problems that often accompany disadvantage were reflected in the significant numbers of clients who also spent a considerable amount of their weekly earnings on drugs and alcohol, cigarettes and medication. Few said that they owed their own vehicle,

with many relying on public transport to travel distances that could not be managed by foot. Clients indicated that public transport was expensive, even with a concession card, and for some, it limited their ability to visit WMB ER as frequently as they might. Many clients had walked long distances to visit the WMB ER because of Brisbane’s high public transport fares.

Living on the edge and making ends meet

Figure 6: Main regular expenses for clients

Jill is a woman in her 40s who lives in a flat in Clayfield. She is on a disability pension but likes her independence and tries to budget to cover all of her weekly costs. However, she has received and paid an unexpectedly high telephone bill this week that has left her short of money for food and so she is visiting WMB ER to collect a food parcel. She has three bags of food to take home with her on the bus. It is a very hot Brisbane day but she won’t accept help. She leaves the air-conditioned centre and walks into a very hot Brisbane day.

Jill

10

No Yes Barely No entry

20

30

40

50

60

70

10

Rent Food Bills Transportation

20

30

40

50

60

70

Drugs & Alcohol

Cigarettes Medication Vehicle Child(ren)


Housing

The single biggest expenditure for almost all clients was rent. For many, the cost of even basic housing such as a room in a boarding house or public housing left them short of money by the end of a fortnight. A room in a boarding house in Spring Hill, where many of the clients lived, ranged from $125-$180 per week while clients were paying weekly

rents on private and social housing that ranged from $180 to $450 depending on the state and location of the property and whether they shared with others. Figure 7 shows a breakdown of the type of dwellings in which WMB ER clients typically reside.

While average rents are cheaper in the outer suburbs, there is much less suitable accommodation for single people, public transport is unreliable or non-existent, and other services such those provided by WMB ER and other comparable services are also far less common and geographically clustered. This leaves clients with little choice but to accept high inner city rents in return for the other amenity provided.

Although women were more likely than men to live in owner occupied or rented homes (including social renting) (53% compared to 41% of men). Almost half of all women (44%) lived in boarding houses, single room apartments or on the streets

Only a small minority of those who participated in the study described themselves as living on the streets at the time of the study (less than 5%). One of these was John:

Figure 7: Client accommodation types

John is a 60 year old man who arrived at the emergency relief centre with a suitcase on wheels and several plastic shopping bags. John slept rough last night in a park in Brisbane, having arrived by plane from Darwin the day before. He had slept in a park in Darwin the night before that as well, but was robbed of his mobile phone and wallet while he slept. John is a construction worker, though he has cancer, and while he feels he is recovering, he is still undergoing treatment. John wants to work but his stolen wallet contains his construction license and he does not

have the money to apply for a replacement. Today he needs food. He is hungry and he eats a sandwich that the volunteer has given him. It is the first food he has eaten since yesterday. He takes bread and fruit from the counter and thanks the volunteers and leaves. He does not know where he is sleeping tonight.

John

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Boarding House

Own home or private rental

Friendsplace

In a hotel On the streets / park

Social housing

No entry

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Laura is a young aboriginal woman, recently out of jail after serving a three-month term when ‘a few things from when I was younger caught up with me (I stole a few things)’. At the time of us meeting Laura, she was sleeping rough, or ‘couch surfing’. Most of her Centrelink payments go to her mother who is looking after her five younger siblings. There is not enough room at her mother’s place for her to sleep. Laura said she prefers to be in jail; it is too hard on the out-side. Before going to jail she was studying for a diploma in project management but she is not sure she can take that up again. She came to WM for the first time with a friend (Maurice) who disappeared and did not return, leaving her there for some hours before she decided to move on.

David is a heroin addict in his late 30s who shares a flat with a friend and a cousin in Mt Gravatt. His addiction caused him to lose a successful job in marketing and he now relies solely on a Newstart allowance of $294 per week, $200 of which goes on rent. On the day he visited WMB ER, David indicated that he had a $600 unpaid electric bill in his pocket which he had no idea how he will pay. His lease is up for renewal soon and he is not sure if he can afford to

stay there, but worries that he will become homeless. David has been visiting WMB ER for the last 18 months, initially dropping in once every six months. More recently he’s been visiting every three days, just to get a sandwich. On the day he was interviewed he said that he had not eaten since the day before yesterday.

Laura

David

Laura, a young aboriginal woman, was also experiencing homelessness but had managed to find somewhere to sleep on a friend’s couch for the last few nights:

The proportion of clients who may be identified as homeless by virtue of living in improvised, temporary or severely crowded dwellings, or in supported accommodation for the homeless, means that the actual number of homeless clients is likely to be much larger than our data suggests. Moreover, several of those interviewed reported that while they had secured a temporary room in a local boarding house or hostel for the time being, they had

previously been forced to sleep rough and were unsure of where they would live next. In addition, clients often lived in the shadow of prospective homelessness, including those living in privately rented accommodation who are finding the weekly rental costs to be beyond their means. David, in the excerpt below, spoke of his concern about being evicted from his rental property on the day he came to visit WMB ER.


Service access and catchment

During their interview, clients were asked ‘where did you travel from to get to the centre today’? The results show that the emergency relief centre captures clients from all over Brisbane and surrounding locations.

Of the 174 clients who indicated where they had travelled from, over 70% were clients drawn from Brisbane’s inner city locations. Table 4 below shows the top seven suburbs for clients who accessed the service in October 2014.

Table 4: Top 7 Suburbs of origin for Emergency Relief clients

Rank Suburb NameNumber of Clients

% of Clients

1 Fortitude Valley 55 33%

2 Spring Hill 32 18%

3 Bowen Hills 10 6%

4 West End/Dutton Park 7 4%

5 Kangaroo Point 6 3%

6 New Farm/Teneriffe 6 3%

7Stafford/Stafford Heights

5 3%

The clients who travelled the greatest distance to the service came from Thorneside and Ipswich.

Many clients commented on the good location of the service in relation to their home, since many lived in the adjacent streets in boarding houses. There has been investment in social housing in inner Brisbane over the last decade. This combined with the local crisis accommodation provided by the Salvation Army (Pindari 100 bed men’s and 20 bed women’s hostel) and other non–Government providers and the private boarding house rental in the area could account for the high numbers of clients from this part of Brisbane.

Of the clients whose place of origin was the inner city, 91% walked to the centre to access the services. Some clients

walked over 6kms to access the centre.

The map below shows two service catchments for the ER service, an inner city catchment and a middle ring catchment. Public transport was the main form of transport to the centre for those who travelled more than 7kms.

The ER centre location is a short walk from the Fortitude Valley train station and this area is a significant hub of public transport activity and support services. The central location of the Fortitude Valley is a significant advantage to clients with good access to public transport and proximity to social and low cost accommodation.

Using WMB Emergency Relief Service

28%

70%


Reasons for visiting ER

Most people we interviewed had visited the WMB ER for food, either in the form of lunch packs which are available daily or the food parcels which are only available to clients three times a year, and require clients to provide identification and register with the service. In our interviews, food was the principal reason for people using the WMB ER (see Figure 9), with many saying that without the WMB ER, and other similar services in the area, they would be forced to go without food for at least a portion of the welfare fortnight.

Figure 13: Reasons for visiting ER

Table 5: Breakdown (percent) of services used according to gender on day of interview

Service Female MaleTrans-gender

Total

Food parcel 33 27 29

Lunch pack 27 35 1 32

Food from counter 8 4 5

BBQ 6 6 6

Financial assistance 6 1 3

Prescription assistance 6 3 4

Other 4 12 11

See case manager / Counsellor 2 2 2

Group activity 2 1 1

Socialise 2 2 2

No response 2 4 4

Total percent 100 100 100 100

The nature of the service provided at WMB ER from the per-spective of clients was unique, not only in the type of service provided but also in the manner in which it was provided by the staff at WMB ER which prompted us to ask clients what they would do if the WMB ER was not there?

What if WMB ER was not here?

When asked what they would do for the food or services they were seeking if WMB ER was not there, two thirds were able to identify other places that they would approach as an alternative. These typically included the 139 Club, the Pantry, the Salvation Army’s Street level Mission or other such venues, suggesting a certain degree of familiarity with the range of services provided in Fortitude Valley to people in need. Indeed, just over half of all those interviewed (51%) said that they often combine their visit to Wesley with a visit to one of the other service providers in the area, including Centrelink and various employment agencies. In some cases though, clients expressed a preference for visiting Wesley over these other providers for the reasons that Wesley does not require clients to make an

appointment, because it does not have the same rigorous requirements of other agencies when it comes to accessing food parcels or financial support, that WMB ER did not try to ‘convert’ them to religion or simply because they prefer the atmosphere at WMB. Rash*, for example, who lives around the corner from WMB ER and has been visiting every day for the last six months, explained his preference for WMB ER as follows:

… they [another emergency service provider] have a proper breakfast and lunch every day but I don’t go there everyday. It is a bit dodgy. It is not safe. I feel safe here but not there. If you go there, you would understand. There is no office area [there], everything is together and you don’t recognise who works there and who doesn’t. Here, you know that the people on the other side of the counter work here and the rest don’t.

Further the data presented earlier in the gender section, there was also little discernible gendered pattern to the way in which females and males used the services at WMB ER, as the Table 5 demonstrates.

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Food parcel

Lunch Pack

Food from counter

Financial Assista

nce

Prescription assista

nce

See case-manager/

ounsellor Group activit

y

Socialize

BarbequeOther

No entry


In contrast, approximately one third of respondents said they do not know what they would do if WMB ER was not there. Some said they would ‘just have to miss out’, struggle’ or ‘wait until pay day’ while two said they would probably resort to theft.

… I wouldn’t get any food. All the food vans are closing now (Gene).

… without ER I wouldn’t be able to afford my prescription. It costs $80 so I’d have to go without (Anna*).

… for counselling there is nowhere else, but I’d get some food from the Chinese temple (Yang*).

Maybe just go without. If it weren’t for these guys I don’t know what I’d do. Probably shop lift. It helps me not to get up to no good (Ben).

In some cases, those who rely solely on WMB ER are accessing services that may not be available elsewhere, such as free counselling or assistance paying for a prescription. In other instances, they had tried another service provider first, which had been unable to assist them. Paula*, a woman in her 30s who was visiting WMB ER for the first time when we spoke to her explained this as follows:

Today I rang two places and one was closed and the other had no appointments for today so if this place would not be here I would not have food today.

In other cases, though, clients were relying exclusively on WMB ER for food (either a food parcel or a lunch pack) – something many others were confident they can access elsewhere. Residential location partly explains this, with approximately half of this group travelling from outside the inner city area from suburbs as distant as Cleveland, Stafford Heights and Teneriffe, meaning that they may be less connected to, and less familiar with, the range of services available in Fortitude Valley.

We also asked interviewees if they felt that WMB ER could do anything better. Those who replied yes were thoughtful in their responses and gave insight into the kind of additional services that WMB ER might provide, or changes that it might make. These fell into five broad categories, as follows:

2. Increases in the frequency with which clients can access food parcels. Some felt that three per year was not enough and would like to receive more. A limited number said they would occasionally prefer to receive cash or food vouchers, rather than food parcels, so that they could select and purchase their own meals.

3. The provision of similar services in the suburbs. As reported earlier, a number of clients regularly travel from the middle and outer suburbs to access WMB ER support because no comparable services are available where they live. One person, for example, had driven to Fortitude Valley from Ipswich, some 40 kilometres away, to visit WMB ER for the first time and reflected that ‘it would be good to have something closer to home’.

4. An extension to the array of services WMB ER currently provides. Suggestions included career guidance; help with preparing a resume; help to access Centrelink support; the provision of a facility to store personal items; the provision of cutlery or crockery for those moving into a new place with little items of their own; and the provision of more sustained assistance to those seeking to move out of homelessness. These services may well be provided by other agencies, in which case WMB ER may simply wish to promote these agencies more widely. Other suggestions were a little more specific: for larger portions to be served during the barbecue and for ‘better milk’ (i.e. not the powder milk that is typically provided).

5. Creating a more sociable environment so that clients can stay a while and relax. Free tea and coffee, more chairs, shaded outdoor areas and free access to a water fountain and other cold drinks, and access to toilets were all suggested as ways that WMB ER might cater to the needs of those wanting to drop in for re-freshments or for somewhere to sit. One client, Yang*, explained it as follows:

It would be good if it had a place for people to sit around a chat; to give it a community feel. No one really identifies themselves as part of WMB ER whereas they hang around the 139 Club all day (Yang*).

6. More financial assistance with costs such as rent, travel and other expenditures. One client asked WMB ER to ‘bring back help with rent’, while two others suggested assistance with public transport and/or fuel vouchers. A third indicated that she would like to receive help accessing items for her baby, such as nappies.

One client also suggested that WMB ER could do more to communicate with clients about the types of services it offers. In practical terms, he recommended the use of a noticeboard to advertise the fact that counselling, case management and group activities were also available in addition to the more widely known food parcels and lunch packs.

Why clients appreciate WMB ER

Overwhelmingly, however, most of the clients interviewed were unable to suggest ways in which WMB ER might improve its services. While a handful explained this in terms of being new to, and unfamiliar with, WMB ER and/or being reluctant to criticise a free service, for the majority it was simply a matter of appreciating the high quality service of the centre and seeing no room for improvement. Interviewees spoke frequently about the prompt, efficient and extensive service that WMB ER provides, the ready access to food from over the counter, and the quality counselling. But, beyond that, what they appear to appreciated most is the friendliness and kindness of the staff and volunteers:

They do wonderful work. It is voluntary and people give their time to look after us and it is wonderful. They are lovely people and they greet you with respect (Helen).

I’m extremely grateful it’s here. I’ve never felt judged or hurried or anything terrible. It’s incredibly busy here but everyone has time for people. Thank you WMB for helping me out when I need it (Anna*).

Improving WMB ER


What they have provided looks good and the people are friendly and smile. Having someone smiling once a day is something nice (Keith*).

I come in with nothing and leave with a full stomach and get welcomed with a smile. I am very happy. You already have to swallow your pride to go in and it’s nice if you are treated nice then (Ben).

In addition, clients spoke of the importance of feeling respected and not being patronised or judged for their situations or lifestyles, especially at a time when they are most vulnerable and in need of emergency assistance. ‘No judgement’ was a common explanation for why, in their view, WMB ER needs no improvement:

… it’s the compassion and understand-ing that’s important. There’s no judgement (Dane*).

… nobody is judgemental and they don’t make you feel inadequate… not being judgemental is so important. My husband already doesn’t feel like a man because he is unable to take care of us (Kirsten).

They’re very friendly, helpful, non-judgemental and supportive (Peter*).

Overall, there was high praise for WMB ER, the services that it provides and the staff and volunteers who work there. Few, if any, felt they had been treated badly and the only feedback provided was constructive and helpful as described above. When asked if they had anything else they wanted to add at the end of their interview, some took the opportunity to sum up the difference that WMB ER was making to their lives:

It’s the best thing that has happened to us… They do wonderful work. It is voluntary and people give their time to look after us and it is wonderful. It is lovely people and they treat you with respect (Helen).

Without places like this, when you are struggling you have no hope (Paul)

ER gives me an opportunity to take care of things I would normally have to do myself, but cannot. It takes a lot of the stress out of every day life so I can focus on the problems I struggle with (Wayne).

While Australia continues to become wealthier overall, the numbers of those experiencing poverty tells a different story. Much of that wealth is not flowing down to those most in need and least able to take advantage of the changing economic climate in Australia4.

This research project engaged directly with those most in need and what we found were people with a bewildering array of trajectories into poverty, but who were prevent-ed from leading more comfortable and dignified lives by structural failures in the way that we deal with those who are suffering from mental illness, chronic injury, chronic unemployment and underemployment and substance dependence. Our social security net is no longer able to adequately provide for those who cannot work in the medium and long term and this means that people who do not have well resourced personal networks are left without the most basic necessities such as food and shelter.

If there is one principal problem in the Australian economy, and one that leads to many of the other pathologies that we have witnessed during our brief stay at WMB ER, it is access to affordable housing5. For each housing ‘boom’ celebrated by political leaders and the investment industry, affordable and comfortable accommodation at the bottom end of the market become further out of reach6. We are fast becoming a ‘nation of renters’, and for those who must rent, the story is one of exorbitant prices and little security of tenure which means that even the most basic of accommodation, a room in a boarding house with shared facilities is priced beyond the means of a single person reli-ant on welfare7.

Although we should be witnessing a fall in demand for services like WMB ER, the reality is that it has never been busier. The staff and volunteers provide a vital service to the disadvantaged, in many cases the difference between hunger and a meal, once everyday expenses such as rent, phone bills and child support are taken care of. The clients we spoke with were unanimous in their praise for the WMB ER, not only for the service they provide, but also for the non-judgemental and caring way the staff dispense this

support. It is instructive that for people with such complex personal problems and needs, that the first thing they mentioned when asked about the WMB ER was the respect that they received from the staff there.

Our hope is that from reading this report you take away the following major findings:

• From the client (and our) perspective, WMB ER Fortitude Valley is doing an excellent job. Clients were very positive about the services provided, and in particular about the professionalism and caring approach of staff and volunteers. For most clients WMB ER is their preferred service.

• WMB ER is an inner city service and the types of clients and their needs should be viewed in this context. Women constitute a far greater proportion of Australia’s vulnerable population than is reflected in the gender breakdown at WMB ER, but many of these women, who are also primary carers, have different housing needs and are located in the outer suburbs. The WMB ER has a broad cross-section of clients, but has a (perhaps unacknowledged) expertise in the care of at-risk men.

• The most valuable service provided to clients is food. Hampers, sandwiches, fruit and the barbeque lunches are highly valued by clients. This reliance on donated food is strong indicator of the nature of poverty experienced by clients at WMB ER.

• This is not to say that other services are not valued, but we found a degree of unawareness from clients about the other services offered by WMB ER and efforts to communicate the benefits of counselling, case work and group therapies are continuing.

• WMB ER is a very busy place. From the outside looking in, and taking the current trajectory of Australia’s economic and social policy into account, the number of clients can only increase in coming years and the WMB ER will need to be properly resourced to deal with this. The excellent reputation enjoyed by WMB ER will only add to this pressure.

Conclusion

4ACOSS (2014). Poverty in Australia. Sydney, Australian Council of Social Services.5Winter, I. (2013). Housing affordability in Australia. Auckland, Australia Housing and Urban Research Institute.6Baker, E. and S. Tually (2008). “Women, health and housing assistance: implications in an emerging era of housing provision.” Australian Journal of Social Issues, The 43(1): 1237Steele, W. and B. Gleeson (2011). “The Great Risk Shift: The Securitisation of Australian Housing.” Housing Studies 26(02): 281-295.


Annex A - Interview Schedule

Questionnaire Number ……

A Month in the Life of Wesley Mission Brisbane Emergency Relief Centre

Wesley Mission Brisbane provides essential help for people who are in need of extra support to live a full life. This questionnaire will help WMB to better understand the people who are using this service and help the Wesley Mission to raise money and improve their services.

This interview is a short questionnaire that will last about 15 minutes.

By law, The University of Queensland must protect your privacy and maintain your confidentiality. This generally means that you won’t be identified by name in any published report. However, some people prefer to be named because they want their stories to be acknowledged. If you feel this way, please let me know. You may also be asked if you agree to your photograph being taken so we can include that as well, but this will only occur if you are in full agreement.

Unless you specifically agree to be identified as part of our research, we will assume that your data is confidential and all details that might identify you will be removed from our interview notes and records.

Voluntary ParticipationYour participation in the research is voluntary. That means you don’t have to answer any question and can stop the interview at any time for any reason. If you ask me to stop, we will destroy all record of the interview.

First some background questions about you:

Q1. I would like to ask you some questions about you and your life. I will ask you about your age, your education, your gender, your income and your Nationality. This information helps us to get a picture of the people who are using the Wesley Mission Brisbane Emergency Relief Services. Which of the following best describes you?

How old are you? (READ THE CATEGORIES ALOUD)

18-25 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70 +

Are you (READ THE CATEGORIES ALOUD IF APPROPRIATE)Female Male Transgender Don’t identify

Tick the education that you have done (READ THE CATEGORIES ALOUD)I never went to school Incomplete primary Complete primary Incomplete secondary Complete secondary Trade certificate TAFE certificate IncompleteUniversity Complete university

Where were you born?Australia Another country (name the country) How long have you been in Australia? Are you an Australian citizen?

Are you (READ THE CATEGORIES ALOUD)Anglo Australian Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander? Torres Strait Islander NZ NZ Maori Samoan PNG

Chinese Refugee Asylum seeker Other cultural group (Specify) …………………………..

Q2. Where do you mostly live?1. In a boarding house2. In my own home or private rental2. At a family member’s home3. At a friend’s place4. In a hotel5. On the streets/in a park6. I don’t know

Q3. Do you live with anyone else?

Q4. Are you supporting anyone at the moment apart from yourself?

Q5. .a Are you working at the moment(specify if full time/part time) b. Looking for work? c. Not working or looking for work?

Q6. What form of Government benefits do you receive at the moment? (CLARIFY THAT THIS INFORMATION IS NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY IMPACT ON THE HELP THE PERSON IS CURRENTLY RECEIVING).

Q7. Do you feel that you have enough money each week to meet your basic needs?

Q8. How do find you are spending most of your money?


Now, some questions about the Wesley Mission:

Q9. How long have you been visiting the Wesley Mission Brisbane Emergency Relief Services here at St Pauls Terrace?

1. This is the first time I have used the service (GO TO QUESTION 6)2. Since it opened3. From last year (we need to check when opened)4. For a year`5. For a month

Q10. How often do you come to ER?1. Every day2. 1 day/week3. 2-3 days/week4. Once a fortnight5. Once a month6. Other

Q11. How did you find out about the ER?1. A friend told me2. Centrelink told me3. Another service told me about it4. Other (Specify)……....................

Q12. Why did you come today?

Q13. What sorts of things do you do at ER? (You can choose more than one)

1. Get a lunch pack 2. Get a food parcel 3. Get things from the counter like fruit clothes, books, blankets (CIRCLE WHICH) 4. Charge my mobile phone

5. Come to the Tuesday Barbeque 6. Come to the Wednesday meal night 7. Get my medical script paid for 8. See my case manager 9. Talk to a counsellor 10. Join in on a group session 11. Hang out and relax 12. Sleep 13. Other (specify)……………………………….

Q14. Who do you usually come to ER with?1. Alone2. With my partner3. With my child/children4. With friends5. With other person (specify)…………………….

Q15. Where did you travel from to get to the ER today? (Mention name of suburb/place and postcode)

Q16. How do you usually travel here?1. By foot2. By bus/train/ferry (public transport)3. I get a lift or drive a car or motorbike (private transport)4. By taxi5. By push bike6. Other (specify) …………………….

Q17. Do you visit other services in the Valley when you come to the Wesley Mission Brisbane Emergency Relief Services?1. Yes, mention ………………………….2. No

Q18. If ER wasn’t here, where would you get the food and other services that you get from here?

Q19. Can Wesley Mission do things better?

Q20. Is there anything that you would like to add in relation to your life or the services at ER?


Annex B - Participant Information Sheet

A Month in the Life of the Wesley Mission Brisbane Emergency Relief Centre

Reason for ResearchWesley Mission Brisbane provides essential help for people who are in need of extra support to live a full life. This research will help WMB to better understand the people who are using this service and help the Wesley Mission to raise money and improve their services for people like you.

Project DescriptionOver the month of October trained volunteers, under the supervision of researchers from The University of Queensland and Wesley Mission staff will be conducting short interviews with Emergency Relief Centre clients.

What You Can Expect if You Agree to be InvolvedIf you agree to be involved in the research, an interviewer will ask you a number of questions about you and your use of the services here at Wesley. The interview will take the form of a short questionnaire and some more open questions. It will last about 15 minutes.

Benefits of the ResearchWesley Mission Australia will use this research to help them explain to donors and government agencies the type of relief they are offering and the numbers and type of people who are using their services. Your contribution will help form this very important body of evidence.

Confidentiality of InformationProtecting your privacy is important and we will ensure that you won’t be identified by name in any published report. However, some people prefer to be named because they want their stories to be heard. If you prefer to be acknowledged for any information you give us, please let the researcher know and you will be referred to by your first name in the report. You may also be asked if you agree to your photograph being taken so we can include that as well. You can refuse if you do not feel comfortable about this.

Unless you specifically agree to be identified as part of our research, we will assume that your data is confidential and all details that might identify you will be removed from our

interview notes and records.

Voluntary ParticipationYour participation in the research is voluntary. That means you don’t have to answer any question and can stop the interview at any time for any reason. If you ask us to stop, we will destroy all record of the interview and you will be free to access the services you came for.

Feedback to Participants:If you would like feedback once we have completed the project please tell your interviewer who can arrange for a project summary to be left for you to collect from the Emergency Relief Centre. Project summaries will also be available at Centre for general reading once the research is completed.

Further Questions:This study adheres to the Guidelines of the ethical review process of The University of Queensland and the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. Whilst you are free to discuss your participation in this study with the project leader (details below), if you would like to speak to an officer of the University not involved in the study, you may contact Michael Tse on 3365 3924.

Principal researcher: Dr. Peter Walters School/Centre: School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia Campus Contact Phone: 07-3365-2759 Contact Email: [email protected]

A Month in the Life of Wesley Mission Brisbane Relief Centre

Please mark this form to indicate if you agree with all the statements below

I understand what the project is about and I have been given the chance to ask questions. I understand that I can continue to ask more questions when I like.

I understand that participation in this research is voluntary, and I can refuse to participate.

I am happy to participate in the research. I have made this decision freely and I am not obliged to answer any question I don’t like. If I find any question distressing, I have the right to stop the interview. The researchers may offer me details of where to find support to manage this distress if it arises.

If I refuse to participate or to answer some questions, then I will not be unfairly treated either by the interviewer, the University or any Wesley staff or volunteers.

I am aware that I can withdraw from the study whenever I like. None of my information will be used in the study if I choose to withdraw. I understand that my withdrawal from the research does not affect my right to access the services of the Emergency Centre.

I agree that there is minimal risk involved in answering the survey questions, but I may not directly benefit either.

I can choose whether or not I wish to be named in any research report. If I don’t want people to know who I am, all my information will stay anonymous. If I do want to be named, I confirm that I have thought about this and I am ok being identified.

If I am happy to have my first name mentioned in a Wesley Mission Brisbane report, I may also choose to have my photograph included. I have indicated below if this is the case.

I agree to the following (please tick to indicate approval):

Y NTo participate in the research

To be named in any published report

To have my photo taken and published in a report

Signature:____________________________Printed name:_________________________Date:_____________

Annex C - Participant Consent Form

ABS (2012). Census 2011. Canberra Australian Bureau of Statistics.

ACOSS (2014). Poverty in Australia. Sydney, Australian Council of Social Services.

Baker, E. and S. Tually (2008). “Women, health and housing assistance: implications in an emerging era of housing provision.” Australian Journal of Social Issues, The 43(1): 123

Beer, A. (2008). Housing: mirror and mould for Australian society?, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Miranti, R., et al. (2006). Poverty at the local level: National and small area poverty estimates by family type for Australia in 2006. Canberra, National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling.

Steele, W. and B. Gleeson (2011). “The Great Risk Shift: The Securitisation of Australian Housing.” Housing Studies 26(02): 281-295.

Winter, I. (2013). Housing affordability in Australia. Auckland, Australia Housing and Urban Research Institute.

References

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Documents

THE MANY FACES OF POVERTY - wmq.org.au · PDF fileshines a light on the many faces of poverty in 2014 – from an experience dominated by older men to one where women, families and