Assistance for those struggling with bills, mortgages, and other financial issues will be coming to Hampton Park and its surrounds this September, as the Southeast Community Links’ Bring Your Bills day approaches.
Another Bring Your Bills event was recently held in March and June this year, where, according to SECL’s website, $1.49 million was resolved in community debt, also as of June.
Peter McNamara, SECL’s ceo, said that ever since the event’s conception, the most common thing he has observed “is how complex some of the issues are”.
“Naturally, housing affordability is a big focus right now because of interest rates, the cost of living, as well as the access to rentals or even households to be able to afford a home,” he said.
“I’ve been in this sector for many decades, and it’s just so surprising and concerning how many new people we see.
“At the recent event, about 70 per cent of the people who showed up had never been to community service before, so it’s very alarming.”
The upcoming event in Hampton Park will be held at the Arthur Wren Hall on Tuesday, 2 September from 10am to 3pm, with free confidential support catered from, in addition to those mentioned above, legal and tenancy advisors, financial counsellors, and ombudsman and complaint services.
Like their previous events, they will also have a swathe of multilingual interpreters to assist those who have English as a second language.
According to McNamara, despite interest rates improving, the mentioned cost-of-living effects have been “cemented” and have made people stuck, with many “struggling to keep their head above water”.
What he said was both concerning and inspiring at the same time is that he has seen people, in real-time, understand their rights when it comes to financial aid.
“Most people don’t know that there’s access to an independent ombudsman who is free and will advocate for you on these concerns,” he said.
“People have legal rights to hardship or vulnerability programs in most financial situations or sectors.
“What but what happens instead is that these people get the email or the call, and the automatic reaction is that they’ve done something wrong and that they’re in trouble.
“There are many situations where they are not at fault, and the retailer, the water company, the telco, and banks have these obligations, and they’re supposed to meet them.”
McNamara emphasised that the role the event plays is to bring the services all into one place, backed by the support of legal and regulatory advice, as well as financial counselling.
“The day goes beyond financial help; it’s also about accessibility,” he said.
Accessibility in the sense that he acknowledged the ‘easiness’ of online services, but added that “you can’t push everyone to the phones”.
“There’s that trust established when it’s face to face, especially for people when it comes to financial hardships; you want to be able to trust someone,” he said.
Speaking broadly, McNamara said that the issues the Bring Your Bills event is tackling are nationwide, and despite how difficult it may seem at times, he reminded those struggling that “there are solutions”.
For more information on the event and Bring Your Bills as a whole, visit secl.org.au/money/bring-your-bills/
