Cost of Living Crisis Only Getting Worse, Forcing Leading Charity to Scale Back Operations
After salvaging tonnes of food and supporting tens of thousands of vulnerable families, award-winning Sunshine Coast charity, Gateway Care, has been forced to scale back operations, as Australia’s cost-of-living crisis drives a staggering increase in demand on their emergency relief services.
This comes after shocking statistics showed the impact of the rising cost of living on Australians’ mental health, with the Suicide Prevention Australia Community Tracker identifying a worrying 10% increase in suicidality as a result of debt distress and financial pressures.
Sunshine Coast MP, Andrew Wallace, celebrated the work of Gateway Care in providing care and relief to vulnerable families and residents across southeast Queensland, and creating a space for connection. The builder-turned-MP and father of four said that the cost of living and the cost of running a not-for-profit were soaring.
“Gateway Care are changing and saving lives right across southeast Queensland, supporting thousands of families and residents who are struggling to make ends meet. But as the cost of living rises, demand on this kind of support rises too,” Mr Wallace said.
“With the price of food up 11.4%, electricity up over 21%, and rents, mortgages, and the bare necessities climbing day-by-day, is it any wonder why? Yet community funding programs have been cut or reallocated, robbing regional communities like ours of the funding we need to keep pace with service demand,” Mr Wallace continued.
“It’s absolutely imperative that governments at every level get behind community service providers like Gateway Care. These groups are filling in the gap when it comes to supporting families and vulnerable Australians – they deserve support and funding, not kind words and callous cuts,” Mr Wallace added.
Federal Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Australians deserve strong economic leadership.
“Australians are worse off than they were two years ago. We are in an entrenched household, consumer confidence and productivity recession. But after three failed budgets, the Albanese Labor Government doesn’t have any plans to restore it.
“Organisations like Gateway Care are at the coalface of Labor’s cost of living crisis. Australians who’ve never needed support from Gateway Care are coming to them. I see this right across the country.
“But the reality is, community organisations are also struggling to keep their doors open because of Labor’s homegrown inflation crisis.
“We need a back-to-basics agenda that gets the country back on track for a prosperous future.”
Gateway Care’s Managing Director, Tom Lew advised that Gateway Care will have to scale back to remain viable, as State and Federal Governments pour money into capital cities while not keeping pace with demand in regional communities.
“A number of government officials have visited the Gateway Care precinct, commending us for what we do. Yet we haven’t seen a cent of support from the state government, and at the federal level, funds for organisations like ours have all but dried up,” Mr Lew shared.
“As the demand on our services reaches an all-time high, we’re forced to scale back just to keep our doors open. Large organisations in capital cities receive millions in funding while communities like the Sunshine Coast miss out. It’s a real shame,” Mr Lew said.
Gateway Care have become a Sunshine Coast institution, committed to showing that everyone matters – and that a hand-up, not a hand-out, is the way to transform lives. Based in Caloundra, Gateway Care is one of Queensland’s largest emergency food relief organisations, reaching thousands of families and rescuing around a million kilograms of food each year.
In 2021, the Coalition Government provided $600,000 to Gateway Care through the Building Better Regions Fund to expand their facility. Those interested in volunteering, donating, or fundraising for Gateway Care can visit www.gatewaycare.org.au to find out more.
