‘Working poor’ emerge across NSW amid cost-of-living, housing crisis

Parents washing their kids in public bathrooms before sending them to school, white-collar workers sleeping in cars. Volunteers say the homelessness crisis is the worst they’ve seen in decades.

Vinnies Van manager Josie Charbel said the current crisis is the worst she’s seen in 18 years with the charity. Picture: Richard Dobson

Parents washing their kids in public bathrooms before sending them off to school and white collar workers sleeping in their cars are just glimpses of the stories emerging about the “working poor” growing across NSW.

Charity volunteers say at least 20 per cent of the people now joining the queues for food and necessities are working people pushed to the brink as the housing shortage and the cost-of-living crisis bites this winter.

The extent of the crisis was laid bare this week when The Saturday Telegraph accompanied the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Vinnies Van to Waterloo and Surry Hills, where staff say on any given night up to 100 people line for up their only reliable meal of the day.

One man in the line for sandwiches and soup at Waterloo Green, who wished to remain anonymous, said there were a “surprising amount” of people in his situation.

The man, aged in his late 50s, said he “fell through the hoops” after his business collapsed and the covid pandemic hit, leaving him homeless for weeks before he secured emergency housing.

“Everything fell over. I couldn’t earn enough to get a place for a lease … then you can’t get stable work, especially at my (age) it’s very hard to get a job when you haven’t got particular qualifications … and physical limitations,” he said, crying from beneath his hoodie.

“We’d literally starve if it wasn’t for little vans like this.”

Vinnies Van manager Josie Charbel said the number of people facing homelessness was the worst she had seen in her 18 years with the charity.

“That looks like someone going to work all day and sleeping in their boss’ carpark, and then coming to the van to get a meal. It’s going to the free beaches for a shower and then getting in the car and going to work, or pretending like they’ve been exercising and going into a gym, faking it to get in there to have a shower,” Ms Charbel said.

People queuing to receive food from the Vinnies Van at the Waterloo Green. Picture: Richard Dobson

“It’s going into the public bathrooms and brushing their teeth … giving their children a body bath and then sending them off to school, or trying to hopefully find a laundry in a common housing estate where they can quickly wash their kids clothes for free.

“That’s the working poor.

“They tell you, I’m a labourer, I’m an accountant, I’m a solicitor … and the money that I did have to spend on food or to pay my bills is now going to my rent to keep my head above water.”

But Ms Charbel said the one thing people say they “always pay” is their car registration, “because that’s their back-up plan”.

Desperate times are also reflected in the numbers. According to the St Vincent de Paul Society, an additional 11,670 people were served meals across NSW between July and December last year compared to the previous six months.

Onward referrals for wraparound services including case managers and housing assistance have also increased by almost 70 per cent.

Surry Hills resident Craig Sullivan with his dog Peanut. Picture: Richard Dobson

Surry Hills resident Craig Sullivan, 42, said the Vinnies Van and its many support services were keeping him and his dog Peanut going.

“At the moment the van is a little lifeline each day for me,” he said. “I think it’s a place to meet people and it straight up makes you feel normal, it gives you dignity.”

“I have to come here because once my rent and all that’s taken out, I’m left with, like, $200 a fortnight. So that feeds me and my dog food … then it’s gone, it doesn’t last long.”

Victoria, 54, has also relied on the Vinnies Van during tough times after surviving a domestic violence relationship, saying the support has helped her take “one step at a time”.

Waterloo resident Victoria said the Vinnies Van has been a great source of support. Picture: Richard Dobson

Holy Cross College Ryde teacher Jacqui Marshall, 30, has been running the school’s volunteer program with the vans for four years. She said help is now needed in the places Sydneysiders would least expect.

“People don’t realise how prevalent the issue is in lots of areas … in Ryde, the Gladesville area, Hunters Hill, people are surprised … there’s a whole community there in need,” she said.

“There’s a lot of people who have lost their jobs and are struggling to get back on their feet.”

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW chief executive officer Yolanda Saiz said a third of people reaching out for help did so for the first time in the past year.

“Our services across the state are seeing high levels of people seeking assistance, with housing pressures among the leading reasons for support,” Ms Saiz said.

“The assistance provided by the Society acts as a safety net in preventing people who are experiencing poverty and disadvantage from facing deeper crises including homelessness.”

Originally published as ‘Working poor’ emerge across NSW amid cost-of-living, housing crisis