Imagine a future in which we didn’t need Anti-Poverty Week (13-19 Oct). A future where every South Australian was free from poverty and had secure housing and the resources they needed to live happy and fulfilled lives.
Since its establishment in 1886, The Wyatt Trust has focused its efforts on the alleviation of poverty in SA. And while the experience of poverty has changed over the years, the need for assistance has not. In fact, we’re hearing from our grant partners that the need for support is growing significantly.
The facts about poverty in Australia, collated by Anti-Poverty Week, are sobering:
- More than 823,000 children live below the poverty line, which makes them 3.3 times as likely to live in poverty as an adult. Physical health and safety, mental health and wellbeing are all impacted by poverty.
- In 2024, First Nations people still have the highest rate of poverty in Australia and also suffer ill-health and disability at greater rates than non-Indigenous people. Two-thirds of single women and one half of single men aged over 55 who are living in rented houses live below the poverty line. Among single parent renters, 2 in 5 live below the poverty line.
- Poverty is highly gendered. Households whose main income earners were female experienced almost twice the level of poverty in 2019-20 as those whose main income earner were male (18% compared with 10%).
- The most common reason for seeking assistance from homelessness services in 2022-23 was domestic and family violence.
Poverty is complex and though our resources are insufficient to eradicate poverty in SA, Wyatt’s Direct Grants program is one of the ways we work to relieve financial pressure and stress associated with a financial or housing need.
In partnership with holistic, client-centred services, a modest grant can provide the space needed for a person to look beyond an immediate challenge, and increases opportunity to address other, often more complex issues.
The only eligibility requirements for the Direct Grants program are that recipients are on a low income and experiencing financial hardship, and that they have lived in SA for five years or more.
Applications are made by approved referring organisations (generally financial counsellors, case workers or social workers in housing programs) on behalf of their clients. We value agency and empowerment for the individuals we help, and ensure that they also receive wrap-around support from partner organisations alongside Direct Grant funding.
What we’re seeing in 2024
Between Jan-Jun 2024, more than 50 per cent of applications for Wyatt’s Direct Grants program were for household goods and furniture, often as a result of individuals moving from emergency housing to community, public or private housing.
Requests were often to help cover the cost of a refrigerator and/or washing machine – basic whitegoods that contribute to a feeling of household safety and stability, as well as helping to save money on food and laundromat costs.
Many requests were for support to help maintain a tenancy or avoid eviction, such as:
- Repairs, often for damage made by someone other than the tenant
- Skip bin hire to remove clutter
- Arrears in rent, utility bills or council rates
Other grants were used for:
- Home medical equipment
- Psychological assessments
- Vet costs, where the recipient’s funds were already tied up in loans for
- whitegoods
- Laptops for study to increase employment prospects
- Vehicle repairs, particularly where the vehicle is required for education and/or employment reasons.
From our data for the first half of 2024, we know that nearly three times as many applications were made on behalf women as men, primarily
spanning an age range of 30 – 59.
A high percentage of our funding is reaching First Nations peoples who make up 20.4 per cent of people experiencing homelessness nationally, and 38 per cent of our Direct Grants funding goes to people living in regional areas of South Australia.
With cost of living pressures continuing to rise, the need for Wyatt’s Direct Grants program is not likely to diminish any time soon. So, this Anti-Poverty Week we’re sharing our insights into what we’ve seen so far this year and encouraging others to take an action, big or small, to understand poverty and take action to collectively end it.
3 ways everyone can take action this Anti-Poverty Week:
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