THIS winter is expected to be a tough one for Border families struggling to make ends meet.

The Salvation Army made this prediction yesterday in the lead-up to this weekend’s annual Red Shield Appeal.

Albury’s Lieutenant Rod Parsons said a survey just released by the Salvos pointing to increasing hardship was reflective of what was happening on the Border.

Lieutenant Parsons said a significant conclusion of the Salvos’ latest Economic and Social Impact Survey was the impact of high accommodation costs that left people with less than $18 a day to live on.

“We do see families unable to send their kids on excursions at school and school uniforms are an issue,” he said.

“One lady we had here the other day has got five kids and had to buy them all shoes.

“But that was all the money she had and so we helped her out as best we could.”

Lieutenant Parsons said one of the major issues he saw was what he described as “situational poverty”.

“A heap of bills come in and they’ve got caught out in a big way, to the point where they can’t buy food and so they see us,” he said.

“The cost of energy is a big one. This year winter’s been a bit early, it’s been a bit cooler, and we’ve already seem people coming in with large energy bills.

“That’s going to be an ongoing problem over winter — heating costs will be significant this year.”

The Salvos hope to raise $30,000 in Albury alone from the appeal.

“It will help us to keep supporting the local community as best we can for the next year,” Lieutenant Parsons said.”

The survey of 2406 people who visited the 262 Salvation Army centres in Australia revealed that 25 per cent went without at least one main meal a day.

The $18 a day would need to cover expenses such as food, health, medical needs, clothing, education, entertainment and utility bills.

The Salvos said the survey revealed what was clearly a bleak picture of entrenched and persistent poverty for a significant proportion of people who accessed Salvation Army services.

Among the most disturbing finding was 87 per cent of adults and 60 per cent of children reported severe deprivation, meaning they went without five or more essential items in life.

Thirty-four per cent of respondents could not afford to give children fresh fruit or vegetables daily, while 78 per cent in private rental housing experienced extreme housing stress.

Major Bruce Harmer said the Salvos were “deeply alarmed” by the survey’s results.

“The Salvation Army is concerned that issues around poverty and deprivation are often reduced to questions of a job or welfare crisis,” he said.