IN THE 2022 annual report from the Salvation Army Australia, it was found that every 17 seconds, somebody accesses the services of the Salvos.
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In Bathurst, it can be estimated that 800 people seek out the Salvation Army each year to assist with housing, clothing, food provisions and financial assistance.
The Bathurst Salvation Army branch is located along Bentinck Street, and is open from the hours of 9am to 5pm every Tuesday and Wednesday.
On these days, Salvation Army Central West team leader major Colin Young, said that approximately eight people access the services per day; a significant increase from previous years.
This is something that he attributed to the current cost-of-living crisis.
"Locally, we've noticed that our numbers have increased substantially," he said.
"We're seeing an increase of about a third, probably within the last year."
These people are accessing the Army for a multitude of reasons, but Mr Young said the most common causes, are people seeking assistance with food, and the paying of everyday bills.
And the most devastating statistic - a large proportion of people utilising the services, are those who are already employed.
"Some of the people that we're seeing are in lower paid jobs, and still they're requiring assistance with food and electricity," Mr Young said.
"They either can't work full-time because they're looking after kids or something like that, or they have some sort of disability that is preventing them from working full time."
Having to reject full time work, and seek out only casual or part-time employment so as to care for children or dependants is often a financial burden that befalls more women.
This results in a higher number of females having to rely on the Salvation Army.
"We see more women - big time," Mr Young said.
Even more devastating, is the fact that the Salvation Army don't record every service they provide.
But, keeping track of all the help they have received over the years, are Belinda and David Hussein, who first moved to Bathurst around 20 years ago.
They have been frequent users of the Salvation Army services ever since.
The couple moved into government housing when they first moved to the area, but were unable to furnish the house due to a lack of finances.
This is where the Salvation Army sprang into action to assist the couple.
"We had no furniture or anything for the house, and they gave us all the furniture to set up the house," Mr Hussein said.
The Salvation Army has also supplied the couple with food when they have needed it.
But, most importantly, members of the Salvos have been there for moral support and camaraderie when the Husseins have needed it the most.
"It's good because you feel like you're a part of a team. You make good friends," Mr Hussein said.
These good friends were instrumental in helping Mr Hussein through a particularly traumatic time, when his wife Belinda almost died.
"I almost lost Belinda a couple of years ago," he said.
During this time, the Salvos assisted the couple both financially and mentally.
This involved bringing meals to the couple, and helping to cover any costs while they were in hospital.
"The whole of Salvos was thinking of us and praying for us," Mr Hussein said.
Over the years of accessing the Salvos, the couple have also noticed that there has been an increase in people relying on the provisions.
"The smallest amount of people they would see per day would be four people, but it's up to a dozen."
The most important thing to Mr Hussein, is knowing that the service is there, and that they are able to provide the people of Bathurst with a sense of security, in what is a very unprecedented time.
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