Anglicare Victoria Policy,

Research and Innovation

Brief No. 2 June 2009

Anglicare Victoria’s Hardship Survey 2009

S a r ah W i s e a n d A n d r e w Y u l e w i t h
G a b r i e l l e D e g e n ha r d t a n d S a n i D o wa

In the first week of April 2009, 42 people seeking assistance from Anglicare Victoria
emergency relief services located in Lilydale, Clayton, Wangaratta and the Melbourne
CBD were surveyed about their personal and financial situation. Individuals represented
a broad cross-section of household types, ages, ethnic groups and education
background, yet all lived on low incomes and very few had any accumulated savings or
home contents insurance to help them through hard times. Many went without essential
items such as prescription medicines, dental care, regular social contact and a decent
and secure home because they simply could not afford them. Approximately one-half
of those surveyed had recently suffered a serious illness or injury and a high proportion
had a close family member die or experience a serious personal illness or injury as well.
Approximately one-quarter of sole mothers and lone persons had a potential serious
mental illness. These findings shed light on the plight of some less fortunate Australians,
who not only need material aid in order to access the essentials of life but may also
benefit from referral to mental health resources and a range of other supports.

Introduction
The social security safety net provided by the Australian
Government is designed to ensure all citizens have the
minimum income required to purchase those items
considered essential to decent and respectable living.
Yet, each year tens of thousands of families are forced
to seek help from community organisations because
they are unable to afford basic items such as food,
amenities and housing.
Anglicare Victoria is a significant provider of emergency
relief in the form of food parcels, financial assistance in
paying household bills, no-interest loan schemes and
crisis accommodation. Each year Anglicare Victoria
conducts a Hardship Survey to raise awareness of
disadvantage and deprivation, and to generate
support for better services and policies.
The Hardship Survey seeks to address the following
questions: Who is seeking support from Anglicare
Victoria’s emergency relief programs? What types of
essential items are those in financial crisis unable to
afford? To what extent does deprivation overlap with
serious mental illness and stressful life events?
During the first week in April 2009 surveys were
administered to clients at Anglicare Victoria emergency
relief services in Lilydale, Clayton, Wangaratta and the
Melbourne CBD. A total of 42 surveys were completed.

© Anglicare Victoria 2009

The Policy Research and Innovation Unit located children, families and their communities.
within Anglicare Victoria undertakes research, For more information please phone
advocacy and knowledge exchange to inspire 03 9412 6133 or go to www.anglicarevic.org.au
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Anglicare Victoria’s Hardship Survey 2009
The K6 screening scale1 was used to identify potential
serious mental illness, based on six questions about
negative emotional states in the four weeks prior to
interview. The Deprivation Index2, which comprises 26
items that Australians currently regard as the essentials
of life, and an index of thirteen stressful life events
adapted from the Life Experiences Survey3 were the
other measures used.
Who is seeking support from
Anglicare Victoria’s emergency
relief programs?
Those who participated in the survey represent a broad
cross-section of ages, ethnic groups, household types
and education background.
• The sample can be divided into four main
household types; sole mother households (19%),
lone person households (36%), couple only
households (26%) and households comprising
couples with children (19%)4 (see Figure 1 below).
• More than half of the sole mothers were born in
a non-English speaking country (57%), whereas
just over one-third (38%) of the total sample were
Australian immigrants.
• Respondent age was higher in the groups
comprising couples with children and couples
only (Mean = 54.9 and 61.6 years) than groups
comprising sole mother households and lone person
households (Mean = 34.8 and 40.8 years).
• Among households with children, the mean number
of children was 2.6.
• One-third of the sample had completed Year 12 or
equivalent (33%) but proportions ranged across the
household groups from 18 per cent (couples only)
to 55 per cent (sole mothers).
• The vast majority (71%) of survey participants were
women.
Lone person 36%
Couple only 26%
Sole mother 19%
Couples with children 19%
0 10 20 30
Figure 1. Representation of household types in the
Hardship Survey 2009. % 12 months (18%). There was also a high incidence of
What types of essential items
are those in financial crisis unable
to afford?
To establish whether clients were deprived of certain
items, and to differentiate between choice and
constraint, they were first asked whether they had
certain essential items or not. Those who indicated that
they did not have the items were then asked whether
they were constrained by a lack of resources from
obtaining them.
Findings on the 26 items included in the Deprivation
Index showed that the majority of clients had no
accumulated savings or insurance for their personal
belongings; that is, 79 per cent did not have $500 in the
event of an emergency and 60 per cent did not have
home contents insurance. A high proportion of clients
were also deprived of prescription medicines (43%)
and dental treatment (52%). Approximately one in five
clients did not have a decent and secure home (19%),
and lacked other home essentials such as a washing
machine (18%) and warm clothes and bedding (17%).
While the numbers of valid cases were quite small
(n = 16), 25 per cent had children who were forced to
share a bed and approximately one-third had children
who went without current schoolbooks and new school
clothes, a yearly dental check up and out-of-school
activities. Approximately one in five clients did not have
regular social contact because they could not afford
it and 63 per cent of clients were forced to do without
an annual holiday.
The proportion of clients lacking essential items was
broadly similar to the percentages of different forms
of deprivation reported in the large-scale study of
deprivation and social exclusion from which the current
Deprivation Index was developed5. The incidence of all
forms of deprivation are reported in Table 1.
What is the overlap between
hardship and stressful life events?
Clients were asked whether they had experienced 13
life changes or stressful events over the past 12 months.
Only two (5%) clients had no incidence of stressful life
events. Expectedly, more than half (53%) of the sample
had experienced major financial problems. What was
striking, however, was that 54 per cent of the sample
40
had experienced a major personal illness or injury and
44 per cent had a close family member experience
a major illness or injury. Almost one in five clients had
a close family member who had died in the past
burglary (25%) and a high proportion of clients (23%)
were forced to move house. It also appeared that
sole mothers experienced a higher rate of stressful life
events than other groups, particularly in relation to
assault, relationship breakdown and spousal violence.
Findings on stressful life events are reported in Table 2.
 Anglicare Victoria Policy, Research and Innovation Brief

Table 1: Incidence of different forms of deprivation

Percentage deprived
Essential item
of essential item
Up to $500 in savings for an emergency 78.6
A week’s holiday away from home each year 63.4
Home contents insurance (insurance for your belongings in your home) 59.5
Dental treatment if needed 52.4
Presents for family or friends at least once a year 46.2
Able to buy medicines prescribed by a doctor 42.9
A separate bedroom for each child aged over 10 years 37.5
A hobby or leisure (out-of-school) activity for child/ren 33.3
A yearly dental check-up for children 33.3
Up-to-date schoolbooks and new school clothes 33.3
Comprehensive motor vehicle insurance 27.6
A separate bed for each child 25.0
Computer skills 24.4
Regular social contact with other people 22.0
A decent and secure home 19.0
A washing machine 17.9
Warm clothes and bedding, if it’s cold 16.7
A telephone 14.3
A substantial (good) meal at least once a day 14.3
Medical treatment if needed 11.9
A roof and gutters that do not leak 11.9
Secure locks on doors & windows 10.0
Heating in at least one room of the house 9.5
Furniture in reasonable condition 9.5
Children can participate in school activities and outings 7.7
A television 4.9

Table 2: Incidence of stressful life events

Stressful life event n(%)

Major personal illness or injury 22(53.7)
Major financial problems 21(52.5)
Close family member experience a major illness or injury 17(43.6)
Gained a new family member 13(33.3)
Burgled or robbed 10(25.0)
Moved house, but not through choice 9(22.5)
Close family member died 6(18.2)
Assaulted or mugged 5(12.8)
Legal troubles or involvement with the police 4(10.0)
Sacked or made redundant 3(11.1)
Divorced or broken an engagement or steady relationship 2(5.7)
Divorce/broken engagement due to conflict 2(100)
Partner/spouse died 1(2.9)
Mean number of life events 1.8

3
Anglicare Victoria’s Hardship Survey 2009
What is the overlap between
hardship and serious mental illness?
The K6 screening scale detected a worryingly high
incidence of potential serious mental illness among the
Hardship Survey client group. Overall, 17 per cent of the
sample had scores at or above the cut-off indicating
a potential serious mental illness. It is noteworthy that
none of the clients who were living with a spouse had
a potential serious mental illness, yet approximately
one-quarter of sole mothers (25%) and lone persons
(28%) fitted this category.
Summary
Findings from Anglicare Victoria’s Hardship Survey 2009
highlight the plight of a small number of our clients
accessing emergency food assistance. It appears that
their financial difficulties connect in a very real way
to deprivation of prescription medicines and dental
treatment, lack of accumulated savings, respite in
the form of an annual holiday and a host of other
basic necessities including regular social contact and
education opportunities for children. The data also
points to a relationship between financial hardship
and stressful, chaotic and traumatic events, particularly
among sole mothers. Physical health problems
feature strongly here. Finally, although there was no
investigation into the cause of the feelings, financial
hardship and potential serious mental illness co-occur
for approximately one in four of the sole mothers and
lone persons surveyed.
The overlapping and interrelated nature of financial
hardship, stressful life events and serious mental illness
calls for a service response that goes beyond the
provision of material and monetary assistance to one
which addresses the psychological, interpersonal and
social dimensions of poverty and financial hardship.
Given the reported high rate of social isolation, mental
illness, as well as the proportion of clients who do not
live with a spouse, co-located programs and activities
that build social networks and connections and inject
some enjoyment of life may be a productive and
relatively straightforward beginning.
These data also suggest problems with the affordability
of prescription medicines and dental care. Although
this is associated with a high rate of physical health
problems, the direction of the relationship is unclear.
However, these findings warrant a closer look at the
affordability of prescription medicines and dental care
for those on low incomes, as well as opportunities for
provision of preventative health care. The high rate of
potential serious mental illness and related events such
as domestic violence calls for screening and referral
services to be built into emergency relief services.
Anglicare Victoria, PO Box 45 Abbotsford Victoria 3067
Phone: 03 9412 6133 Fax: 03 9415 9181
Conclusion
In Australia, receipt of social security benefits and
otherwise low income does not automatically translate
into deprivation of life’s essentials. In addition to a range
of public services and support provided by community
agencies, individuals and families are often able to
draw on other resources to pull through hard times.
However, Anglicare Victoria’s Hardship Survey 2009
indicates that a high proportion of clients requiring
emergency relief miss out on things no-one should have
to go without in Australia today, such as prescription
medicines, a decent and secure home and regular
social contact. As well as improving access to items that
many clients appear to be lacking, the path to greater
self-reliance seems to involve innovative models of
service delivery capable of tackling the limitations and
special needs some clients face in addition to financial
hardship, such as ill health (mental and physical),
housing instability and social isolation.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge and thank
the clients who gave their time to participating in this
survey. Thanks are also due to the emergency relief
coordinators, workers and volunteers at Mission House,
Dixon House, Anglicare Victoria Yarra Ranges and
Anglicare Victoria Wangaratta.
About the Authors
Dr Sarah Wise is the General Manager, Policy, Research
and Innovation at Anglicare Victoria. Andrew Yule is
the Communications Manager at Anglicare Victoria.
Gabrielle Degenhardt is a Community Relations Officer
at Anglicare Victoria. At the time of writing, Sani Dowa
was the Marketing Appeal Coordinator at Anglicare
Victoria.
1 Kessler, R.C., Barker, P.R., Colpe, L.J., Epstein, J.F., Gfroerer, J.C.,
Hiripi, E., Howes, M.J, Normand, S-L.T., Manderscheid, R.W., Walters,
E.E., Zaslavsky, A.M. (2002). Short Screening Scales to Monitor
Population Prevalence and Trends in Non-specific Psychological
Distress, Psychological Medicine, 32, 959-976.
2 Saunders, P., Naidoo, Y., & Griffiths, M. (2007). Towards New
Indicators of Disadvantage: Deprivation and Social Exclusion in
Australia. Social Policy Research Centre: Sydney.
3 Sarason, I.G., Johnson, J.H., & Seigal, J.M. (1978). Assessing the
impact of life changes: Developmnet of the Life Experiences
Survey. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46(5), 932-
946.
4 Includes resident children aged 18 years or older.
5 Saunders et al., 2007
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