That is the experience over many years of one of the key organisations involved in providing that first contact support in the Lavington area.

The St Vincent de Paul Society has had countless numbers of people come through its doors in a desperate need for help.

Many are homeless and many simply have fallen short with money, often unexpectedly, and cannot feed themselves or their families that night.

It is symptomatic of the increasing struggle posed by the unrelenting increase in the cost of living and the failure of wages and welfare payments to keep up the pace.

“I’ve had some very desperate people,” said Anthony Foley, the president of St Clare’s Conference, which runs the Lavington arm of Vinnies.

“A few years ago I had a lady who we gave a food voucher,” Mr Foley said.

What stood out was her clear shame at having to seek assistance.

“She had to hide it in her purse for fear someone else would know she had it, that she’d been there. They’re scared stiff that someone would find out.”

But Mr Foley said the woman nevertheless had the courage to go to Vinnies “because she could see past that for her kids”.

“She had to do what she had to do. There’s some brave people out there and they do a lot of things for their children.”

Mr Foley concurs with many who work in the welfare field on the Border in highlighting how homelessness is just one part – and often the final, difficult destination – for issues including financial hardship and domestic violence.

“There’s a whole plethora of programs out there targeting different issues, which make-up the same problem,” he said.

“There’s no one answer. It still comes back to what can be implemented and what’s practical.”

Vinnies makes sure the client’s needs, rather than those of the particular agency, are the absolute priority.

“People will rock up and say ‘I’ve got nowhere to stay, what do I do?’. The Hub (at yes unlimited in central Albury) has got funding for that sort of thing, so when it comes to accommodation we’ll refer people directly to them. They’ll then put a caseworker onto it.”

Sometimes though if someone comes in late on a Friday other arrangements have to be sorted.

“We’ve put them up at a hotel or a camping area or a caravan park for a couple of nights. But we also make an appointment with them for that next step to make sure they get into that housing program.”

Go inside our homelessness special feature