b'Giving people aAbout a third of parents found it more difficult to care for their children properlyfighting chance to16% said the end of the support put them at build a better future.risk of family violence.Our teams across Victoria and Tasmania offerHere is what some consumers told us:a range of community services, helping peopleI was able to pay my bills and rent and now avoid crisis and supporting people in theirI cant. My income is even lower. We got used time of need. to eating properly and now we must readjust. As part of our work to help end poverty, weBecause of a mix-up with child support with partnered with the Centre for Social Impact atmy partner, we have now lost money as well as Swinburne University last year to look at what theCentrelink creating a debt under my name during axing of COVID-19 income and tenancy benefitsCOVID, so were really struggling. has meant for the people who received them. Weve gone into lockdown again. Less money This research is called: No fighting chance. from the government makes it harder to pay Impact of the withdrawal of COVID-19 income for everything. I have a daughter with ADHD and tenancy benefits.and high anxiety whos now too scared to go to school. I have another daughter with high anxiety Over 100 people who access our emergencyand type 1 diabetes whos in and out of hospital a relief and homelessness services in Werribee,lot. Everything costs money and due to COVID-19, Ballarat, Bendigo, Mount Waverley, Ringwoodmy diabetic daughter is at higher risk if she gets it. and Wodonga participated in surveys, whichMy family is scared. contributed to the findings. We have advocated for the following solutions:People told us how important they had found theIntroduce a permanent increase in JobSeeker COVID-19 income and tenancy support paymentsand parenting payment rates to provide a that government put in place in 2020. The impactsafety net for people in crisis of the various supports was overwhelminglyBenchmark Jobseeker to wages to give people positive for them. a fighting chance in an increasingly competitive Predictably, as governments cut back thesehousing and employment marketsupports, peoples situations worsened, acrossIncrease rent assistance payments to make many areas of their lives. sure everyone has stable housingTwo-thirds of those surveyed said that when theIncrease the supply of safe and affordable government income support was withdrawn,homes.their mental health suffered.61% of respondents said without this support, they werent able to eat properly. Learn moreMore than 44 per cent of people said that when the support payments ended, they struggled to pay their rent or mortgage.Providing holistic support. Peter is a kind donor who has been supporting the work of Uniting(formerly Prahran Mission) since 2005.Here, he shares why it is important to him Organisations like Uniting do a wonderful job to be part of what we do. in supporting people to not only get through I like that Uniting is a positive force to helpcrisis, but to also address issues before theypeople in their time of need.get to that point.But most importantly, I find it reassuring thatBut its also important to have a safety net in the services offered by Uniting also focus onthe form of adequate social welfare payments.early intervention. I see this as the governments role. We need Prevention is better than a cure.to make sure people have access to the support they need to get through a difficult time. Supporter Newsletter Autumn 2022 7'