Fears for Canberra's vulnerable

Welfare organisations have praised funding for long term social welfare investments in the budget handed down on Tuesday, but some hold fears for the coming months as demand for services continues to surge.

Uniting Care’s Reverend Gordon Ramsay said there were positives outlined in the budget, which included more than $8.6 million for housing and combating homelessness, but said he was still disappointed.

Speaking on ABC Radio on Wednesday, Reverand Ramsay said the government had missed key opportunities to assist people living in vulnerable positions.

“In the last 12 months, we’ve seen a 40 per cent increase in the number of people accessing our emergency relief services,” he said.

“Given that there’s a 40 per cent increase, the increase in funding of 2.5 per cent inevitably means that resources for some of Canberra’s most vulnerable will be even more stretched. I think at a time when we’re expecting even more people to become financially stretched, the resources aren’t there.”

Reverand Ramsay said Uniting Care was running a $400,000 emergency relief program on a $300,000 budget, and expected the funding gap to grow wider.

“As the funding doesn’t increase, people in financial difficulty will be there for longer,” he said.

“That’s a worrying trend.”

The budget included $7.6 million to support the development of a Common Ground model in the ACT, a move described as a step in the right direction by Anglicare’s community director Jenny Kitchin.

Ms Kitchin said the initiative would provide supported housing for people who are homeless and low-waged workers.

“This is an excellent affordable long-term housing solution,” she said.

The budget also pledged $580,000 as part of the transitional National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness with the Commonwealth, which will match the funding.