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When Sharlene’s partner died suddenly of a stroke four years ago, times got tough.
The couple had just moved to Huntly with their four children when their two-income household was suddenly reduced to one.
After struggling for several years, Sharlene, 36, got a part-time job as a pastry chef in Taupiri last year. Slowly the family recovered.
So, Covid-19 hit.
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During the confinement, Sharlene received the wage subsidy, but said it was between $ 120 and $ 160 less than what she made a week.
In addition to the drop in income, his expenses increased.
Her electric bill went from about $ 80 a month to about $ 300 a month, and Sharlene said she found it difficult to even buy food.
“Kids weren’t getting those special awards that they used to get, which was pretty difficult.”
And they are not the only ones.
Figures from Variety New Zealand, a children’s charity, show that its Kiwi Kids Sponsorship Program has seen a 23 percent increase in the number of applications compared to the previous five months.
They received 671 requests from people wanting help after the shutdown, Variety CEO Susan Glasgow said.
When alert levels subsided, Sharlene and her family had to move out of their home in Huntly, resulting in additional costs.
Work and income helped pay the bail, but the move to Te Kauwhata meant that the four children had to start a new school, meaning new uniforms, and Sharlene was unable to afford them.
Sharlene asked that her last name not be used; she distrusts her children’s stigma of being someone who had to ask for help and is determined not to hold that position for a moment longer than necessary.
Taking the first step was not easy. A teacher at the local high school asked her if she had ever heard of Variety and she said they could help with the uniforms.
MARK TAYLOR / Stuff
Sharlene did not want her last name used due to the stigma of asking for help.
Sharlene was hesitant to accept help because she was embarrassed, but the teacher encouraged her and she made contact.
“I just didn’t want to come across as a charity case.
“But the advice he gave me was to get off my horse.”
In addition to getting new school uniforms, her children also received Warehouse vouchers to buy new clothes and shoes.
He bought the uniforms two sizes up for each boy in the hope that they would wear out a lot.
Sharlene said she was open with the children about their financial situation, as one of them missed school camp this year when she couldn’t afford it.
He also had to remove his three daughters from a dance club they were in before Covid, as he could not afford the $ 150.
Variety’s help made her feel like a “weight had been lifted” off her shoulders, and it encouraged others struggling to access help for their children.
“It’s nice to see [the kids] smiles again.”
MARK TAYLOR / Stuff
She was on wage subsidy during Alert Level 4 and is one of hundreds who have access to help from Variety after closing.
There has been a marked increase in families seeking one-time or ongoing support for their children as a result of Covid-19, Glasgow said.
“It is a sobering reality for many New Zealanders and for some it is the first time they have sought support.”
Glasgow said that the problem of child poverty in New Zealand has been growing for some time.
“Costs go up and income doesn’t go up accordingly.
“After Covid, people are not losing their jobs because of them, and they have to seek funding and support from organizations that never would have had to.
“Many families come to us for help for the first time in their lives.
“They seek help because they know they need to be able to support their families, not because they are spending their hard-earned money in the lottery.”
Glasgow thought some families would be horrified to learn how some people lived in New Zealand.
“In a country of five million people, 250,000 people living below the poverty line is unforgivable.”
