Laurieton is one of five St Vincent de Paul Society branches in the Port Macquarie-Hastings.

A spokesperson said over the past year volunteers have met with 232 people on more than four occasions each. 

“This was to provide food and pharmacy vouchers, budget counselling, help with school needs and support with fares or petrol,” she said. 

The newly appointed president to the Laurieton branch, Tom Critchley, said the demand for food support outstripped all other concerns.

“These included the chronic rental shortage and the spiking power costs,” he said. 

Fellow volunteers Paul Green and Beverley Carmody agree the situation has never been more difficult for families on low incomes or those who rely on government support.

Paul has been a volunteer for 50 years and said the issue needs to be addressed. 

“Whether it’s families with young kids, single parents or – as is becoming more common – older women on their own, the situation has become much worse,”he said. 

“People are really struggling to make ends meet.

“A major problem is rental stress, which is defined as more than one-third of household income going to rent.

“This makes it more difficult to afford the other necessities, notably food and electricity bills.”

St Vincent de Paul Society Hastings region president, Jeff Downie from Lake Cathie, praised the work of the volunteers.

“There are plenty of women, often with young kids, who’ve fled from other places and are still being harassed by ex-partners who refuse to pay maintenance,” he said.

“Many people have no one to offer personal support when they’re facing problems.

“We provide as much practical help as we can within our financial capacity, which relies solely on Vinnies shop sales.

“In addition, just having someone with a friendly ear can make all the difference to a person’s wellbeing.”

The Vinnies spokesperson said about 95 per cent of visitors to centres were on Centrelink benefits.

“Some identified as primary homeless, which means sleeping rough, for example in tents in parks and camping grounds,” she said. 

“Many more were couch surfing in crowded homes or sleeping in their cars.

“The remainder were in tertiary accommodation such as low-cost caravan parks or cheap hotels, which offer little security.”