Kerry Arch is not too proud to admit that she will struggle to put Christmas lunch on the table for her children this year.
The Wyndham Vale mother of two has struggled financially since being shifted on to lower-paying Newstart payments as part of a move designed to encourage parents to rejoin the workforce once their youngest child turns eight.
The change, which affected 84,000 families across Australia from January 1, stripped single-parent families of between $60 and $110 a week.
Ms Arch said she had done her best to cope, turning to other single parents for support.
She recently helped form a lobby group, United Sole Parents of Australia, to reach out to other single parents experiencing hardship.
The group is setting up a Wyndham branch, with its first meeting to be held at the Wyndham Community and Education Centre this Sunday from 1.30pm.
Ms Arch said attendees would be given packages to help them give their families Christmas lunch.
“Businesses have made donations to help put packages together,” she said. “We can only do [Christmas lunch] with the support of others.” The meeting will also be a chance for single parents to find out about local support services.
“Some parents who come into our group have become almost homeless because they didn’t know where to get support and some have been living in their car because they can’t get assistance,” Ms Arch said.
“We have got to help each other.”
» 0400 657 962
