More than 68% of low-income households across the region are in housing stress… stretching frontline services to breaking point.
That was the daunting backdrop of a Local Connect Forum the NSW Council of Social Services (NCOSS) convened in Kurri Kurri on Thursday 21 May.
NCOSS, in partnership with CALM Inc, Kurri Kurri Community Services and Central Coast Community Council, brought together NGOs, government agencies, social service and community health providers to discuss the region’s most pressing challenges and potential solutions.
It also included a coordinated response to the fuel and cost-of-living crisis.
NCOSS CEO Cara Varian said the scale of need was outpacing what services could deliver.
“Higher fuel costs are punishing already stretched household budgets in regional NSW,” she explained.
“Rent is also through the roof.
“Grocery bills continue to climb.
“And, the social and community services holding people up are being asked to do more with less… for longer.
“When fuel prices spike, regional residents don’t just pay more at the pump.
“The ripple effect is they have to reduce or lose access to health appointments.
“They lose connection to family and community.
“They lose work.
“And, often children’s school attendance is impacted.
“Geography’s shaping disadvantage in this state… and the response has not matched the scale of what’s happening on the ground.”
Local services from the Hunter and Central Coast regions, including Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Muswellbrook, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter LGAs, reported rising demand for support, too, with many people seeking help for the first time.
Across the area:
- 68.9% of low-income households on the Central Coast are in housing stress
- 56.8% of Hunter Valley low-income households name food as one of their top three costs
- 4% of low-income (Central Coast) and 13% of low-income (Hunter Valley) are living in poverty
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