Stark poverty is a reality here, now

Press, 29 July 1978, Page 1

Stark poverty is a reality here, now

By

JENNIFER HAMILTON

Poverty is a stark fact of life for more and more Christchurch people. Social service groups cope daily with requests for food, clothing, furniture, and emergency shelter, sometimes stretching their resources to the limit. Social workers predict that the number of needy people will continue to rise. During a home visit one social worker found that the only edible food in the house was a loaf of bread. Some children in Christchurch schools steal lunches from other pupils, because they have nothing to eat. In spite of the affluence of New Zealand society, there is poverty, says Captain Peter Coughlan, the Anglican City Missioner.

Many people go to the City Mission to find help and care. In a year the mission served 8760 evening meals, provided emergency care for 1590 people, and gave 414 people clothing. Almost

300 others received bus and train tickets to travel to new jobs. The City Mission had a few “regulars” but most people arriving there were in real need. They found it very difficult to ask for help, Captain Coughlan said.

Employment is no guarantee to a comfortable or even adequate living. For a married couple with two or three children, a mortgage and an income of less than $5OOO a year, there was nothing to spare, said Captain Coughlan. “There is no money to take the children for a ride in the car. There is no car sometimes.

“You can’t manage finances, and living, without the money to do it,” he said.

Low wages and a high cost of living caused a hopelessness which was quite frightening, said Sis-

ter Pauline O’Regan at a meeting of the Christian Family Movement this week.

While some people drove about in expensive cars, and stores catering for wealthy tastes prospered, many were without food and did not have the means to live from day to day. For a family with four children, a sick wife and an income of $9O, even a two-monthly power bill was hard to meet. One breadwinner had been laid off work six weeks ago and only recently received a $7B---week” benefit. After catching up on overdue rent payments he had $2l for groceries, coal and other bills, she said. A study of poverty was once an academic exercise, but “we are now looking at people who are really suffering in our city,” said

Sister Pauline. The welfare state system, which had been set up with the best of intentions, had become persecutive and demeaning.

The “blame-the-victim” syndrome was the easy way out. Then people did not have to worry about essential injustices, she said.

The City Mission building provides a refuge for the homeless. The bunkroom for single men looks clean, and perhaps regimental, but most of all it is a place to sleep. Drunks are not allowed but there is a settee, blankets and heaters on the outside porch for them. Some make a special attempt to “dry out” so they can receive proper care.

Strict rules are laid down but the air of concern and helpfulness has a tempering effect.

Those seeking help sit self-consciously in the waiting room. Some wearing old. coats to guard against the cold, hold whimpering children. It could be a scene from Dickens. For those needing clothing, there is a room set aside so they need feel no embarrassment. Captain Coughlan is

worried that young school-age children, already familiar with poverty, will grow up feeling angry about their lot compared with the affluence of others. The number of meal tickets given out by the Catholic Social Services in Christchurch has more than doubled. From April 1, 1977, to March 31, 1978, 683 tickets were given

out, 378 more than the previous year. In June alone, the Methodist Central Mission gave out 85 meal tickets. The recipients usually pay a nominal amount for a meal or, if they have no money, peel potatoes or do other small jobs. The Central Mission keeps well-stocked store cupboards to tide people

over when they do not have enough food. But, although $l5OO was given out in financial relief and goods last year, nothing is handed out before an interview with a social worker. “We try to give to the neediest cases but it is sometimes very hard to judge,” said the administrative director of the Central Mission (Mr R.

Johnson). “It takes a lot of guts to go and ask for help. You can see what it’s costing them,” he said. At Aldersgate, where most meal tickets are redeemed, Mrs Bessie Stewart said that some young people who called in could not even afford a bowl of soup. For others, a meal ticket bought their only hot meal for the week. “Some don’t want to spend their money on food,” she said, referring to some of the city’s alcoholics.

The hardship that some people experience often comes in waves, according to the director of Life Line (Mrs N. Johnston). “One week we are inundated with people queueing for food and we wonder how long we can keep it up. Then the demand slackens.” Benefit payments influence demand.

Some young people came to Christchurch searching for jobs but without success. If they were not yet on the unemployment benefit, and had to spend the rest of their money on a bond for a flat, there might be no money left for food. Many young unemployed and families sought help, but the elderly seemed fairly well provided for, Mrs Johnston said. Although there have been more requests for help recently, hardship is no sudden phenomenon. “There always will be poverty, even if the economic situation improves, and there will always be poor people, irrespective of the economic situation,” said Mr Johnson, of the Central Mission. Recession brought many problems to a head, said a Methodist social worker (Mr J. Halls). Poverty

quite definitely existed in Christchurch, but a crisis did not require a list of reasons. Those who had lost jobs often had no savings to fall back on, and attitudes to life were also a factor, he said.

Mismanagement contributed to the predicament of many families and budgeting education was necessary, according to Major G. W. Beale the social services officer for the Salvation Army. Many who had a limited budget, spent much of their money on luxuries; some just wanted things as easily as possible.

One of the greatest problems was trying to stabilise these people, said Major Beale, The Salvation Army tried to pick people out of the gutter and to keep them out. Society was seeing the second generation of broken families where the

young were inheriting their parents’ values. "We ought to be working on the next generation,” Major Beale said. Last year the Salvation Army provided 2949 free meals and another 2872 that were paid for. The 20 beds set aside for emergency accommodation and stocks of used furniture and clothing were also drawn on regularly. More people were using the good-will shops, said Mr Johnson, but at the same time the average person was holding on to old suits and dresses longer.

Not only church organisations are being asked for help. In June, there were 23 inquiries for assistance from the Mayor’s Relief Fund. In extreme cases $l5 grocery vouchers were issued after the applicants had been assessed by a welfare organisation, said the director of housing and property for the Christchurch City Council (Mr K. R. McNeil). There had been more inquiries this year than last year, but not as many as expected.