Four Reasons Why (FRW) is one of many local agencies working harder than ever before to support the less vulnerable in the community amid the current cost of living crisis.

During last year’s Christmas period, the agency dispersed over $22,000 worth of assistance throughout the Limestone Coast and is currently doling out a record number of Foodbank vouchers.

Four Reasons Why founder and community development leader Trudi Shelton said the rising cost of living was “absolutely slamming” families and individuals while the levels of homelessness are on the rise.

“We are certainly seeing an increase and certainly seeing the stress and strain on our most vulnerable people in the community,” she said.

“So many things are starting to become unaffordable and out of reach for people and that could be car registration and fuel to get to appointments in the Limestone Coast area, not just in the city.

“Families are feeling the pressure, we have had more requests for school support as well … because people are trying to recuperate from the Christmas period and all the bills they’re paying there and then you get hit with back to school.”

Ms Shelton said FRW regularly posted requests for help on their Facebook page.

“It’s a great way to keep the community involved and it’s a great way to source not just new items or cash donations but also to source used goods and furniture items,” she said.

“We are happy to accept brand new or good used clean condition items, so we do have regular posts putting out a callout for help.”

One such example was a recent appeal to buy a set of car tyres for a couple facing hardship after their car was deemed unroadworthy.

“A local agency working with some of our most vulnerable in the community reached out to Four Reasons Why after they had exhausted all other avenues,” she said.

“The family consists of grandparents that have their grandchildren in their care full time.

“The main breadwinner suffered a severe medical episode, the family are now financially crippled as a result of that medical episode and it means that main breadwinner cannot work.

“The car was deemed unroadworthy and they need to get the kids to school and run them about.

“They live a little bit out of town, so they do have a bit of a journey to go to school each day, let alone any other running around they need to do.”

Four Reasons Why responded by pledging half the cost of the $660 set of discounted tyres from their existing funds and aimed to fundraise for the rest.

“Within 24 hours of asking we had raised $630 from our Four Reasons Why followers,” Ms Shelton said.

“It was incredible.

“That means that Four Reasons Why only had to put in $30 of our money.

“We had an aged pensioner who could not afford his dentures, so we have taken that surplus money from the tyres which we did not have to put in and we put that toward this gentleman’s dentures.”

Ms Shelton said she often saw those who have received help give back what they could to the organisation.

“It’s awesome to see what goes around comes around and sometimes we receive and sometimes we give,” she said.

Ms Shelton said the continued community support for FRW has been “phenomenal”.

“It never ceases to amaze me the speed with which people respond as well, so not only do we get that help but we get that help almost instantaneously which is what you need when you’re working with vulnerable people,” she said.

“Four Reasons Why prides itself on being a team effort and it’s not about any one person because we’re all in this together.

“We have never been going stronger which is fantastic and in one way it’s not because ideally we would not have a job to

do.

“We have had a steady growth across the whole five years we have been incorporated, and we just keep growing and we see those numbers building.

“We have just been going from strength to strength.

“We’re still a small organisation just ticking along and working as hard as we can.”