More people seeking asylum struggle to get food on the table in 2024

MEDIA RELEASE:

The ASRC has seen a 43 % increase in families relying on its community foodbank in recent months due to the skyrocketing cost of living and people seeking asylum being denied work rights and access to social support by the Federal Government.

In the past 12 months, the ASRC Foodbank has supported 1,568 households (3,769 individuals) with food and groceries, and served over 9,600 hot meals from its community kitchen in Footscray. In September 2022, a second Foodbank was opened to meet demand for clients and their families based in the Dandenong region, which now supports approximately 140 households to get food on the table each month.

In its submission to the Inquiry into Food Security in Victoria, the ASRC outlines the devastating impact of food insecurity on people’s safety and wellbeing and the current situation forcing people seeking asylum into starvation, poverty and homelessness. Read the full submission.

Among the key barriers to food security is being denied work rights, despite the fact people seeking asylum are desperate to support their families and contribute to their communities. The ASRC estimates that as many as 20 % of people seeking asylum don’t have work rights at any given time.

The Federal Government has also largely withdrawn from its crucial role in providing a social safety net for people seeking asylum over the last decade. Between 2016-2022, social support for people seeking asylum was cut by a staggering 95%, and in 2022-23, only 1.2 % of the 88, 5000 people seeking asylum were able to access any sort of payments through the Government’s Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS).

While the policy failures are at a Federal level, the impacts are being felt locally by communities across Melbourne. Adding further pressure to food relief organisations is the reduced capacity of people to provide donations due to the cost of living – limiting the number of families organisations such as ASRC can support. In the 23-24 financial year, the ASRC saw a 45 % decrease in the number of in-kind donations to the centre.

Quotes attributable to:

Jane, client of the ASRC since 2018
“I have two young children and we could not manage without the support of the ASRC Foodbank. I don’t have work rights, and the place we rent costs a lot of money for us with bills as well. 

“Before I was able to access the ASRC Foodbank, I had gone without food before. Once I went for one week with no food, just living on water. Now I know that I can have enough fresh vegetables and food to feed my family for a whole week.”

Jana Favero, ASRC’s Head of Systemic Change 
“The ASRC initially started as a foodbank in 2001 to respond to food insecurity that people seeking asylum and refugees were facing in our community. Sadly, the demand for our foodbank services persists 23 years later and it is continuing to increase and people seeking asylum continue to be some of the most marginalised in our community.

“Charities, such as the ASRC, who are stepping in to try and meet people’s basic needs are best placed to advise on the policy and budgetary measures required to tackle food security and avoid people being forced into greater poverty and destitution.”

Nina Field, ASRC’s Humanitarian Services Manager
“With the magnitude of challenges that people seeking asylum face, food security is one vital part of supporting their wellbeing. The lack of food security our clients and their families face causes a vicious cycle and exacerbates a person’s poor health and limits their ability to recover from trauma and rebuild their lives.

“Every day we have queues at our centre for people who need support with feeding their families, and we know we’re not the only charity struggling to meet demand. It’s really time for our State and Federal Governments to step up and take responsibility for the people in our communities that are deserving of fair and compassionate treatment.”

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