Recession may be easing but effects hit hard

 MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release

— Wellington, Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Recession may be easing but effects continue to hit hard.

The Salvation Army’s latest quarterly figures show a continuing deterioration in the living standards of low-income and heavily indebted families.

Salvation Army welfare centres provided 44,000 food parcels to households during the 12 months to September 30, 2009 – a 44.5 per cent increase for the year. The number of families receiving food aid rose 40 per cent to 23,820.

In addition, Salvation Army churches provided a further 2600 food parcels during the period.

Salvation Army Director of Social Services Major Campbell Roberts says one positive sign was a very small decrease in the number of new families coming to The Salvation Army for help during the September quarter.

“This hopefully may be a sign that the recession is beginning to ease,” he says. “But we are under no illusion; the recession’s effects will be profoundly felt by the poor and vulnerable for some time.”

For the last two quarters, families new to The Salvation Army have been arriving at the rate of 41 a week. The number of new families seeking help decreased 4 per cent from 5156 in the June quarter to 4948 in the September quarter.

Many of these families carry heavy debt burdens. Redundancy or reduced overtime means they are coming to Salvation Army budget services with complex problems like mortgagee sales or bankruptcy, Major Roberts says.

“As we work with clients to resolve the underlying problems causing poverty, our services such as budgeting, counselling, emergency accommodation and addiction services all experienced sharp rises in demand.”
One example is supportive accommodation, which accommodated 350 people a night, including the homeless and recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. The Salvation Army provided 128,500 bed nights for the year – a 12 per cent annual increase.

Admissions for The Salvation Army’s intensive 8-week rehabilitation programmes for alcohol and drug addiction climbed 21 per cent for the year.

Issued on the Authority of Commissioner Donald Bell (Territorial Commander)
The Salvation Army, New Zealand Fiji & Tonga Territory
ends

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