Stability should not be considered a luxury.

At 53 Marcus never considered himself as someone needing to seek out emergency assistance at his stage in life, but after his workplace shut down, he was forced to hunt for a new job – gone was his steady routine and the stability that came with it.

“I had my routine,” Marcus said. “I went to work, did my job, went home. It worked.

 

“When the company I was employed by folded it really changed everything. It threw me off a bit and the floor came out from under me.”

 

This winter, Marcus is among a growing number of South Australians who are just one unexpected expense away from losing everything. They need somewhere to turn and someone who can help.

Your tax-deductible gift to AnglicareSA can help offer food, clothing, hygiene supplies, and basic household items to those who would otherwise go without.

Marcus said he was able to pick up casual shifts as a night road worker as well as forklift hours at a warehouse. But the work was irregular, and when an unexpected medical bill hit, he was already stretched too thin.

“Before that all happened, I was already watching the numbers, paying close attention to what is coming in and what is going out,” Marcus said. “My shifts are unpredictable, so I am tracking everything, it is tiring.

 

 

“There wasn’t enough to cover the quarterly electricity bill and have food and at the same time pay for the medical costs.”

It was then Marcus made the decision to reach out to AnglicareSA seeking support and emergency assistance.

“I gave them a call even through I wasn’t sure what they could do for me, it turns out they can do quite a bit,” he said.

“I was pretty grateful. They sent me home with some food, and I also got a voucher so I could get new work shoes for the new job – I felt pretty bloody lucky.”

AnglicareSA’s Emergency Assistance locations continue to offer a range of helpful services while supporting people like Marcus with dignity. These are warm, welcoming, and inclusive spaces operating across South Australia.

Thanks to generous donations from the community, our Emergency Assistance service supported more than 9,000 people last year from Adelaide’s CBD to Elizabeth, Christies Beach, Woodville, Wallaroo, Whyalla, and Maitland.

 

“I think more people should know about AnglicareSA,” Marcus said. “I probably put off getting help a bit longer than I should have. I should have called them earlier, but my pride got in the way a bit. I felt a bit ashamed that I had gotten this far in life, and I was still struggling.”

 

“The people I spoke to genuinely cared about me. That was a nice feeling, made me feel a little bit less invisible after the repeated rejections from job applications.”

“I know that AnglicareSA is there if something was to happen again with my health, I know that I can still get a loaf of bread and keep myself fed, make it through the week. It is life-changing, really.”

And to the generous supporters of AnglicareSA’s Emergency Assistance service, Marcus said: “Thank you for putting your hand up to help, when people like me don’t have the strength to. It means a lot.”

 

 

*Name change to protect privacy