Cold washes, no soap for those stuck in poverty prison

Perth Now

23-06-2025

Cold showers without soap, going without medical care and struggling to pay for transport are daily realities for thousands of Australians living below the poverty line.
That's the grim picture revealed by a survey of more than 3500 Australians who lean on the Salvation Army for support.
More than one third of people only use cold water to wash, while 43 per cent revealed they cannot afford toilet paper, menstrual products or soap.
Cost-of-living struggles are already having an impact on the next generation, with 34 per cent revealing their children missed school because they couldn't afford the fuel or public transport fares needed to drop them off.
Some 3.3 million Australians live below the poverty line, the Australian Council of Social Services says.
That's equivalent to about 13.4 per cent of the population, or one in eight adults and one in six children.
"The lengths that Australian's are having to resort to in order to survive is truly heartbreaking," Salvation Army Major Bruce Harmer said.
"Behind every stat in this Salvos research are real people who we have supported, many of whom are trapped in a prison of poverty and feel they do not have any hope."
One woman, who the charity did not name, said she lived paycheck to paycheck and often goes without food.
"My clothes are falling off me as I have lost weight and I can't afford to buy ones that fit," she said.
"I can't afford fuel for my car, so that leaves me isolated at home, affecting my mental health even worse than it already is."
One-in-four people who took part in the survey had their electricity disconnected while one on five had to couch surf over the past 12 months.
About seven in 10 said they lost sleep over their finances and almost half said their mental health had worsened over the past year.
The Salvation Army released the survey findings to coincide with their Red Shield Appeal, which aims to raise $38 million by the end of June.