Poverty level stays high

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, a 44.5 per cent increase for the year.

The number of families receiving food aid rose 40 percent to 23,820. In addition, Salvation Army churches provided a further 2600 food parcels during the period.

Major Campbell Roberts says one positive sign was a very small decrease in the number of new families coming to the Sallies for help during the September quarter.

This 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 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 using Salvation Army budget services.

- © Fairfax NZ News