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The number of families needing help from just one charity has jumped 26% in a year on the back of the rising cost of living, with furniture and beds the most sought-after items.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul has had more than 5000 requests for help from people in Canterbury in the six months to June.
In June alone, Vinnies assisted 923 people, business and operations manager Polly Fisher said.
And while demand for beds and furniture was up, the amount of furniture the charity was getting from donations was down, she said, as it was likely people needed to sell old furniture for extra cash rather than donate it.
The Salvation Army has also seen a jump in demand for help in Canterbury, with a 7.5% increase over the last six months, said regional community ministries manager Kerrie Palma.
Sallies has helped 1566 households with food in the last six months, and has seen an extra 427 people in the region who have never needed help before.
Electricity prices have increased 8% since last year, the Electricity Authority says. Food prices are up 3.2% and petrol prices up 28.7%, Statistics NZ’s latest selected price index for showed.
Said Fisher: “As winter takes hold, the needs within our community continue to grow.
“For many families, meeting basic needs such as keeping their homes warm and putting nutritious food on the table becomes increasingly difficult.
“Requests for bedding and warm clothing have also increased dramatically as winter sets in. We also have a lot of people who are requesting clothing for their children.
"Rising power costs place added pressure on already stretched household budgets, forcing some to make impossible choices between heating and eating."
Said Electricity Authority general manager retail and consumer Andrew Millar: “On average, if your monthly power bill was $200, this latest increase could add another $16 a month. That’s a big difference to most households when many people are already stretched.”
Food prices have jumped, up 3.2% since last year, Statistics NZ’s selected price index for May showed.
Fisher said the increasing cost pressures had led to more relatively wealthy families needing support as well.
“People that wouldn't necessarily have reached out to us before are reaching out now; people that were once probably able to afford to live week to week with that rising cost of those things - we're seeing people that I would call the working poor."