Standing Ready to Help Kiwis in Need

01 May 2009

An address delivered by Major Campbell Roberts at the 2009 Red Shield Appeal launch breakfasts for high-profile corporate supporters in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

I imagine the realities of the current economic recession impacted your business and work yesterday and are likely to do so again today. Whether it is the unavailability of finance and credit, concern over reduced customer spending, nervous shareholders, the worry of needing to make loyal staff redundant or some other issue, the economic situation is impacting your life. And it is likely those impacts are not confined to work and business activity but that they spill over into your family and personal life as you grapple with the stress of managing in such an environment.

For most New Zealanders the reality is that as the global recession starts to have a widespread impact on the New Zealand economy there is a shuffle effect on business, communities, families and individual lives.

I see this on my way to work in South Auckland when I drive past the old Mangere Bridge. Until about six months ago, there were half-a-dozen people fishing there each day. Now it’s not unusual to see 40, 50 or 60 people. What used to be a recreation is now, for some at least, about catching an essential part of the family meal

This is also obvious in the clients of the Sallies’ social services. People who often lived at the edges of sustainability in good economic times find the impact of an economic recession is severe, and in some cases potentially life-changing to their families and children.

For some, their occupation of the family home is under threat because rents and mortgages can’t be paid. For others, the kids are missing out on educational opportunities. For a few families, three meals a day is not a normal expectation any more; it’s a luxury. The slightest personal emergencies can lead to a family crisis.

We are seeking daily in our centres the impacts of global recession on the lives of people. The overtime that meant a family could meet the mortgage and feed the family is no longer available. The part-time or casual work that supplemented the benefit and helped pay the rents has stopped.

Families that have usually managed well now require help. In the last quarter of this year, 7000 families sought assistance from us—5000 of those families we had not seen before. That’s tough because these are people who are not used to seeking charity. They’re often embarrassed, angry and fearful for their future. They need more time and help from our staff because they’re encountering a system of welfare that is foreign to them.

Three statistics from our community services help paint the picture:

• Food: In the first quarter of 2008, 7319 people sought food assistance from our community services. In the first quarter of 2009 that leapt to 10517—an increase of 44%.
• Budgeting: In the first quarter of 2008, 1087 people sought budgeting assistance from our community services. In the first quarter of 2009 that increased to 1285—an increase of 18%.
• Counselling: Our counselling work has increased by a dramatic 52%.

The Salvation Army specialises in dealing with crises. It’s what we do every day, and we are determine in this economic crisis to stand alongside our fellow Kiwis as they face personal trauma and need. We are already doing this and we will continue to respond positively to the extra need caused by the economic recession.

• Addiction: Our nationwide addiction centres offer life transformation in world-class treatment programmes.
• Aged-Care Support: Our home support programme helps seniors remain in their own homes despite frailness, sickness or minimal financial resource.
• Supportive Accommodation: We provide 100,000 emergency beds each year and housing units for the elderly.
• Employment Training: When there is redundancy, unemployment or unemployability, our training programmes help people gain work skills, strengthen literacy and numeracy, and secure employment.
• Pre-school Education: Where financial security requires mums and dads to leave their pre-schoolers, we offer safe and security pre-school education centres with teachers who are excellent role models.
• Economic Hardship: In times of crisis, The Salvation Army is there to provide food, budget assistance, clothing, furniture and counselling.

Regardless of which economic commentary you listen to, it is clear that the most vulnerable in our population will require access to more of The Salvation Army’s services. We intend to be there for those Kiwis who need some one to stand with them as parts of their lives unravel. We want to support them in a way that will mean they can quickly recover and rebuild hope and a future as the global economic situation changes.

Crises are too important to waste. They offer the opportunity for individuals to discover and develop personal resources they didn’t know they had—and they offer opportunity for us collectively to offer each other new levels of support, mentoring and care.

Whether this economic crisis is short or long, we want New Zealanders to be able to rely on The Salvation Army. To do that will be a challenge because investment income is reduced, philanthropic trust income is down, and government has made it clear that no additional government funds are likely. Yet we face increased demand—and this means increased costs.

This Red Shield Appeal is vital in our provision of a reliable safety net for individuals and families for whom the economic crisis has become a personal crisis. We need every dollar we can get!

Kiwis do care and they show that by their increased generosity when the chips are down, as they are now. We need to maximise that generosity over the week of our Red Shield Appeal, and I thank you for the part you will play in that. I hope you join us in turning this economic crisis into something that is life-changing for many New Zealanders.