New research has found there is a new New Zealand normal of desperation to find housing, food and sufficient income for many families.
Today's report is the conclusion of a six-year study by the NZ Council of Christian Social Services on families' experiences after the Global Financial Crisis.
And it shows things have gotten worse, not better, the Council's Executive Officer Trevor McGlinchey says.
"Things like food grants from Work and Income New Zealand have decreased over that six-year period by 28 percent," he says.
"During that same period, our members were reporting huge increases in demand for food parcels."
Mr McGlinchey says it is critical that those on low incomes have more money in their pockets.
"Whether they get those incomes from a benefit or from low-income work, it's really hard for our service provider to support families who basically can't afford to pay the rent or power, let alone get the food.
"So we really need that to occur. And that might be more important, we think, than tax cuts."
Despite an increase in demand, the funding has remained static.
"They haven't had an increase in funding, not even an inflation-related increase, for eight years," Mr McGlinchey says.
"We've got a big change coming up in the way the Government's going to support vulnerable children and their families. We need to adapt to that change, and we need to be able to support families through until that change takes effect."
Mr McGlinchey is calling on an immediate increase for the funding of their social services.
Newshub.
