By NOEL MURPHY
THE REGION’S Lifeline service is facing a financial crisis as rising wages, costs and new protocols undermine its ability to meet a growing demand for help.
Lifeline Geelong has 40 telephone counsellors and another 60 staff working across five shops in Geelong, Drysdale and Colac.
Despite a significant annual funding boost of $50,000 18 months ago, it has been forced to draw on $40,000 from its reserves to keep afloat this year – a turnaround of almost $100,000.
Geelong Barwon region board chairman Joe Crosby said the local operation had been considered one of Lifeline’s best performers nationally.
“In the last two to three years we’ve broken even but this year we’ve had to pull into reserves by about $40,000 to keep going,” Mr Crosby said.
“Fair Work Australia has looked at all wages across the board in the charity sector and that’s had an impact. All sorts of costs have gone through the roof – rental fees in our shops, it’s cost us $20,000 just to get rid of rubbish.”
Lifeline Geelong fields about 8500 calls for help a year, with staff giving referrals, advice or simply a sympathetic ear.
Between five and 10 per cent of callers were deemed “at risk”, Mr Crosby said.
“But they’ve been increasing a little bit. Loneliness, family relationships financial concerns, these all contribute and right now there’s a lot of pressure.”
Lifeline draws funding from State Government, Geelong’s Give Where You Live program, Geelong Community Foundation and from Lifeline’s shops.
“But we’re cutting into our reserves,” Mr Crosby said.
“Just 65 per cent of our income is coming from the shops, where it used to be 75 to 80 per cent. This reflects the retail costs we’re facing.
“Other centres in NSW and around Australia of similar size have got the same problems. We have meetings going on looking at costs, how to do things better, but there’s major work we have to do to make the whole thing sustainable.
“We’re trying to provide a better, more-professional service but it’s tough, tough going right around the country mainly because of rocketing costs. Protocols to support our phone counsellors have all been ramped up and the costs associated with that.”
Lifeline Geelong services are available 24 hours a day, providing advice on issues including suicide bereavement, financial pressure, stress and domestic violence.
Mr Crosby said Lifeline Geelong was heavily involved in setting up parent support groups in the wake of Western Heights’ multiple youth suicides in 2009.
The current level of calls for help was approaching the 9000 a year that Lifeline experienced during the Pyramid crisis two decades ago, he said.
