Yvonne has been a volunteer for the Emergency Relief program in Wollongong for about four years. “I believe that God had been preparing me for this role. The experiences in my life gave me the background I needed to serve people in need.” This is how former adult educator Yvonne Johnsen talks about being a volunteer for ANGLICARE.

Yvonne decided to put her hand up when a friend from her church at St Michaels, Wollongong, encouraged her to join. “He thought I would be good at working with people in need. It was also at a time when I had finished full-time work and I was looking to do something for my community in a Christian way.”

“Initially I found the work daunting”.  I realised that there was a whole part of my community that I had been separated from. I didn’t know how widespread the need was. I came to realise that I had many privileges and that those who experience hardship often do so through no fault of their own.”

Yvonne comes in two days a week and assists with interviewing people who make appointments for financial assistance. When asked what a typical day holds, she says that each day is unique.

“I see people with a wide variety of problems. Some might need help with energy bills or simply don’t have enough money for food that week. It is also not a simple case of just handing out money. I will try to find out why they are having these problems and will either give some advice about their situation or refer them to some other service for additional help.”

“In one case I met a lady who was in a constant cycle of falling behind on bill payments. I recommended that she attend financial counselling, which revolutionised her thinking and the way she managed her personal money. This small step gave her the confidence to handle her budget in a way that she had never known. For some of us this might seem like an obvious thing, but when you are in a vicious cycle, solutions are not that easy.”

Talking about why some of the people find themselves in trouble, Yvonne says, “I’ve seen people who have needed specialist medical attention who have slipped into significant debt because they simply don’t have the income to cope with mounting medical bills. Also housing is a huge issue and I’m staggered by the cost of some rental properties and the treatment some people receive at the hands of landlords. There is also the problem of drug and alcohol abuse which has taken its toll on many. But I realise that I need to treat people without personal judgment and see that most could not simply cope with conditions outside of their control.”

Although Yvonne works in Emergency Relief, she realises the importance taking a long term view to working with people. For her, this underlines how critical ANGLICARE’s work is in our community.

Our work would be far less effective without people like Yvonne.