By Ava Cashmore
More than $500,000 in debt has been resolved at South East Community Links’ (SECL) ‘Bring Your Bills’ events in the past two years.
The good deeds continued at Springvale City Hall on Tuesday 18 March, bringing together 30 organisations, including banks, utility providers, telcos, legal services, and government agencies, to offer free financial advice and hardship assistance.
More than 300 people turned to financial experts for support with bills, fines, loans, and tenancy issues for free financial advice and hardship assistance.
“The response to our Bring Your Bills Day in Springvale was amazing… It’s clear local families really need this support right now, SECL chief executive Peter McNamara said.
“Everyone’s feeling the pinch from the rising cost of living.
“We’re seeing huge demand from people needing help with bills, fines, mortgages, loans, utilities, and tenancy problems.
“This pressure is even higher for multicultural communities who sometimes struggle to navigate phone and online systems. That’s why we always provide interpreters to support community members in-language.”
The SECL initiative has helped over 2,600 people since its launch in 2023.
More than $511,000 in debt – including $60,000 on Tuesday – has been resolved through hardship arrangements, grants, concessions, and waivers, providing crucial relief to those struggling financially.
The most prominent issues were bill hardship (57 per cent) and fines (17 per cent).
SECL’s recent Cost of Living Survey revealed that 70 per cent of respondents struggled to afford food, 41 per cent went without meals, and 45 per cent resorted to short-term loans.
For many attendees, ‘Bring Your Bills’ was their first time seeking help, with 75 per cent never having approached service providers before.
Organisations at the event included City of Greater Dandenong, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, Consumer Affairs Victoria, Australian Government Services Australia, Red Energy, Lumo Energy, Optus, Victoria Police, ANZ Australia, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac, South East Water and AGL.
Interpreters and bi-lingual workers on site helped to cover Dari, Mandarin, Burmese, Pashto and Persian languages.
