Food security a quietly growing problem

Pressures around the cost of living are quietly creating problems around food security, writes HOPE Outreach Worker Andrew Kewley.

It seems homelessness and housing affordability – or lack thereof – is never far from the headlines these days. Not too long ago the wider community marked Homelessness Week, prompting renewed calls from advocacy groups for urgent action on the issue.

But while homelessness rightly captures public attention, I want to talk about another form of hardship that is quietly growing in our communities.

Food security is now steadily increasing problem in our suburbs, and far from it being a dilemma reserved for rough sleepers, it is creeping into more and more family homes.

Street Yarning

I spend my days as an Outreach Worker for Hope Community Services, and as part of my role I run our Street Yarning program, providing hot meals and a safe space for people to sit, chat and connect.

Currently, three days a week, a team of volunteers and I set up at various spaces in Armadale, cooking up a barbecue feast for all who turn up. We run five different sessions across those three days. At our most popular locations, depending on the weather, we might serve up to 80 people over the course of a morning or afternoon.

Over the last year I have noticed a distinct shift in the people coming along to grab a free feed. Retirees, parents, teenagers from all cultures– none of whom look any different to the average person walking down the street.

Most have a home, and they are well-dressed, but the hotdog or soup they grab from the barbecue on Thursday morning might be the only hot meal they get until they see me on Monday morning.

Not too long ago a lady new to Street Yarning teared up as she thanked me for the freshly made hamburger with an egg. As she said, she couldn’t remember the last time she had an egg, let alone a hamburger with the lot.

When we set up at a local skate park we get young people wolfing down hotdogs, then quietly asking if they can take some home so they can feed their siblings that night or put them in their school lunchbox the next day.

It’s hard stuff to hear. What is clear to me is that while homelessness is no doubt an urgent problem, the cutbacks that people are now making to avoid homelessness are deep and widespread.

Food security is much harder to see, and it’s not something that many people will own up to. There is sadly a lot of shame still attached to not being able to make ends meet, especially among those who are experiencing it for the very first time.

Community connection

Providing a hot meal is only part of the work I do. The food creates an opportunity for me to build trust and connect with those who might not ordinarily approach community services for support. Having a yarn, engaging people and listening to their life journey can open conversations about other challenges they may be experiencing. Where someone indicates they would like additional support, I connect them with other community and support services.

It might be directing them to the local charity providing free blankets and warm clothes, or referring them to an organisation that can provide free counselling. More and more I am sending them to other places where they can get food when the Street Yarning program is not running.

Up until May this year, Street Yarning was only run twice a week. It was previously funded wholly by HOPE, and as a not-for-profit organisation, our funds are stretched providing services around the State.

Thankfully the City of Armadale saw the need and has supported us to double the number of barbecues we run each week. Their support has been invaluable because – as the cost-of-living crisis continues – I don’t see the issue being resolved quickly.

I don’t have a solution to the food security issue. Like homelessness, it is a complex and multifaceted problem that can only be addressed through long-term, coordinated investment and support. We only have a van, an old barbecue and welcoming smiles.

But I do know that the people who are dealing with the issue of food security – and the relentless anxiety that comes with it – need our non-judgmental understanding and our kindness, so that they can come forward and ask for support without feeling judged or shamed.

If you would like to support HOPE’s Street Yarning program visit our donations page.