'They don't want to lose their house': new cohort driven to relief services

According to volunteers and community organisations, a raft of costs - from rent increases to interest rates - has led to an increase in younger people seeking help.

At the Kangaroo Flat Uniting Church's twice-weekly emergency relief program, volunteer Sandra Adams said demand for their services had grown over the last six months.

"They're struggling to pay their mortgage," Ms Adams said.

"They don't want to lose their house, so they haven't got enough money for food or to pay their bills."

Carol Kenzie has been visiting the program for around three years, mainly for the company, she said.

The Strathfieldsaye resident has personally seen an increase in demand for the service.

"Just in the last month or so even, a lot more people have come," she said.

"Only last week there was a young couple (come in), and I think they might have been sleeping out in the street, because they had provided them with what looked like a tent."

According to Ms Kenzie, the nearby Rotary Club's Tuesday night meals have been "flat out too".

Community services organisation Uniting Vic.Tas has seen a 70 per cent increase in demand for their emergency services over the past year.

This includes a surge in online enquiries for food vouchers (up 21 per cent), bills assistance (up 35 per cent) and financial counselling (up 173 per cent).

"According to the Victorian Council of Social Service, more than 800,000 Victorians live in significant economic disadvantage, including 216,000 children," Uniting Vic.Tas chief executive officer Bronwyn Pike said.

"We're also seeing working people come to our emergency centres - for food vouchers and assistance with medical expenses, energy bills, items for school and clothing.

"Demand for our homelessness and housing services is higher than ever. With the rising cost of living, more people are struggling to pay their rent and being pushed into homelessness, even people with jobs."

The rising demand is an added impetus for the Uniting Church's Winter Appeal, calling for community support to help Victorians have access to warm clothing, nutritious food and a safe place to stay during colder months.

For Ms Adams, the appeal can't come soon enough.

"We are getting an increasing number of people who are homeless or living in tents," she said.

"One lady we know lives in the back of a van out in the Whipstick. Can you imagine - in this cold weather?"

Salvation Army area officer Major Andrew Walker, who covers the Bendigo region, said they were also seeing a new cohort accessing their assistance.

"In the past, the majority were people that were on some sort of government payment," he said.

"But we're now seeing people that might have jobs or even mortgages that are seeking help because the budget just can't stretch any further."

He attributed the trend to a raft of cost of living pressures, including inflation, rising interest rates and power costs.

"When you've got a fixed amount for groceries and suddenly that amount's not going as far anymore, it's leaving people short," Major Walker said.

"The other thing that's pushing some people into our services, that may never have come for help before, is rental increases.

"Especially the challenges of people when they are told to leave one place and they're struggling to find another and all the costs that go with moving."

According to Major Walker, demand is stretching their Bendigo region services to the extent their weekly budget of financial assistance, consisting of grocery cards, may run out midweek.

"We do have weeks where the budget runs out well before the end of the week, so all we can give is food rather than financial assistance," he said.

"We're not quite able to help everybody as we'd like or people are having to wait for assistance."