HelpingACT President Mohammad Ali and his army of volunteers are doing their best to support Canberrans struggling with rate hikes and surging inflation.
Support service organisations across the ACT are experiencing an increase in people requiring assistance in the current cost-of-living crisis.
Climbing interest rates are pushing up mortgage repayments in households and families are starting to reconsider their spending habits.
The economic squeeze has caused many Canberrans to seek the help of local community services to assist with groceries and bills.
'It's either bread or bills'
Mr Ali reported a jump in the cost of running his support service with the price of basic grocery items increasing.
"Previously we were purchasing one hamper for a family for around $45 to $50, and if you add meat into that it has now gone up to $80 to $90," he said.
HelpingACT has been supporting Canberrans in need with a school breakfast program, a dental care initiative for homeless people and multiple programs assisting families during the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Ali founded HelpingACT in 2018 and the last few months have been some of the organisaton's busiest.
"We are not a unique charity [in the cost-of-living crisis] I've been talking to many other charities and they are also facing the same conditions," Mr Ali said.
HelpingACT runs a range of services for struggling Canberrans with distribution centres in Franklin and Molonglo Valley.
"Many working families can't meet ends because it's either bread or bills and there are new faces coming every week who require food assistance," Mr Ali said.
HelpingACT also provides assistance to any new families that have recently relocated to Canberra.
"We are ready to help any family that has permanently moved to the ACT, we provide furniture and small items to any family that has recently moved," Mr Ali said.
Drop-in centre experiences 123% increase
Acting Chief Executive of VolunteeringACT Susan Helyar said fewer Canberrans were volunteering.
Canberra has some of the highest proportions of adults engaging in volunteer work but since COVID lockdowns, these previously strong numbers have not been recovered.
"Between 2019 and 2023, the numbers have dropped, and they haven't returned to their pre-lockdown levels," Ms Helyar said.
With volunteer numbers declining and the need for support services increasing, organisations are being forced to reduce the assistance programs they can offer.
Since the lifting of COVID restrictions, Ms Helyar's organisation has also reported a surge of community members walking into community hubs to ask for support.
"We've had a 123 per cent increase in the number of people who are walking into our drop-in-centre, asking for information," Ms Helyar said.
The most sought-after service reported by Ms Helyar has been financial assistance for basic necessities such as prescriptions, rental assistance and food vouchers.
"People who have run out of money for the absolute basics in life, the demand for that [at VolunteeringACT] has gone up by 50 per cent," she said.
The Our Canberra newsletter released a list of support services with a range of rebates, discounts and meal assistance locations across the territory.
To access the savings, you have to complete a short questionnaire asking questions about your accommodation, age, mode of transport, children, disability and budgeting.
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