Nationally there are two million households experiencing extreme hardship where severely food insecure households are living with constant stress and worry about food, the recent Foodbank Hunger Report for 2024 has revealed.
In WA, close to 200,000 households experienced severe food insecurity in the last 12 months.
The latest Foodbank report, released on 15 October 2024, showed that almost all (97 per cent) of those surveyed worry about not having enough money to buy more if food runs out.
Shockingly, 79 per cent of those surveyed saw their food run out without enough money to purchase more, and more than half of the households had adults not eating for whole days because they can’t afford food.
“Poverty manifests in many different ways, and we have seen in the last few years how dramatically the cost-of-living crisis has affected everyday Western Australians,” Foodbank WA CEO Kate O’Hara said.
“With no signs of letting up, those hit hardest are households with low incomes who struggle with the rising costs of housing, energy, healthcare, food and education. These families face food insecurity and difficulty affording basic necessities, not to mention the threat of homelessness if rent or mortgage repayments cannot be met.”
Research across the whole services sector shows that children in single-parent households or families reliant on welfare benefits are at greater risk of living in poverty. This can lead to poor health, limited access to educational resources, and social isolation.
“Often welfare payments such as JobSeeker are as inadequate to meet the cost of living, which is why we strongly support the Raise the Rate campaign,” Ms O’Hara added.
“We support the Raise the Rate campaign because we believe everyone deserves the right and dignity to be able to cover the basics and not be forced to have to make impossible decisions such as whether to pay a bill or put food on the table for themselves or their family.”
The Foodbank WA team is meeting households daily with children that are facing a complex range of challenges. “Every day our team is hearing things like ‘I never thought I’d be here’, ‘You are my last chance to keep my home’, and ‘It’s been really hard to make the decision to come’,” Ms O’Hara said.
She said several factors need to be considered, such as the rise of casual and part-time employment which has contributed to growth in the segment of ‘working poor’, where individuals are employed but earn too little to cover basic living expenses.
“In the regions, our branch teams are dealing with even greater disparities with the higher cost of living and limited access to support services,” she said.
Last financial year, Foodbank WA provided 9.2 million meals to those doing it tough by distributing food and groceries through 352 frontline charities, and to over 10,000 individuals referred to the charity.
“We play a crucial role in combating poverty in Western Australia by addressing food insecurity which is often linked to poverty,” Ms O’Hara said.
To address longer term issues other than food supply, Foodbank runs the nom! nutrition education programs which empowers people to make healthier food choices on a budget and promote long-term health and financial wellbeing.
In addition to this, Foodbank WA’s School Breakfast Program, now in its 24th year, ensures that children in 550 schools across WA receive a nutritious breakfast, improving their ability to learn and helping to relieve the financial strain on families.
“Anecdotally, school facilitators of this program tell us that some families are bringing the siblings of the students for breakfast as well. Other schools have sandwiches, fruit and snacks on hand for students to address not just hunger but the shame of an empty lunchbox,” Ms O’Hara said.
By Hearts and Minds
