St Luke's Anglicare manager of case management services Tracey Grinter said there had been a spike in the number of locals seeking their financial counselling program – up 10 per cent on the previous year. 

She said in the past financial year, their service alone had seen more than 1100 clients. 

On average, two to three of them are facing bankruptcy each week. 

“The rising cost of utilities is obviously a huge factor – nearly 20 per cent (of our clients) are struggling to meet utility costs,” Ms Grinter said. 

She said power bills were one of the first things to fall by the wayside if a family were steeped in financial stress. 

“They are definitely more likely to spend money on maintaining their residency, rent or mortgage – on not being homeless,” she said. 

She said there has been a steady rise of other costs – including food, petrol and private rentals – over the past three years, which impacted families. 

She said they were also seeing more clients on bigger incomes – the working poor, families with one income earner and children – who were “struggling to meet those expenses”. 

Last week the Essential Services Commission released a report which found Victorians owed $50 million in unpaid bills, and made a case for payment plans for customers in financial hardship. 

Ms Grinter said a “huge factor” was door-knocking electricity companies prompting people to change providers, which often left them paying a hefty cancellation fee while trying to keep up with their new bills.

“We often see clients in those situations where they’re trying to make debt payments at both at the same time – it places a lot of pressure on clients,” she said. 

She said while it was a shame so many were forced to consider bankruptcy, it could be the best option for a person struggling.  

“Bankruptcy is a great option for people to move forward with lives…it’s an option of a clean slate,” she said. 

She said it could ease the burden placed on a person’s wellbeing or mental state when they had few assets, very poor future employment prospects or health or mental health issues. 

Around 11 per cent of clients reported mental health as the reason for job loss.

Ms Grinter encouraged people to seek financial counselling, and said many put it off because they felt ashamed, but that could exacerbate the problem. 

She said another reason people didn’t seek help sooner was they were faced with more pressing issues, such as a health problem, but she stressed it was a free service they could access. 

“Everyone has options, even if people think they don't,” she said. 

For Julie Clark and her family in Bendigo, the arrival of spring is much more than a breath of fresh air and a flurry of blossoms. 

It’s a much-needed reprieve from the burden of expensive power bills. 

“The winter months are the hardest...that's when our bills are the highest.”

While Ms Clark’s husband works full time, she relies on Centrelink payments as the primary carer for their 24-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy. 

They are a big family – with six children living at home, the costs of hot showers in winter and running a dryer for sheets, uniforms and towels adds onto the other power uses – the wheelchair charger, phones, and laptops for the teenagers to do their homework. 

She said she as been “in a position where it’s been close to being cut off”, but never at the stage where debtors had to come knocking. 

“I always try and keep on top of that. There is nothing worse than having kids in the house and no heating,” Ms Clark said. 

“We've been on many disconnection notices, but I’ve just been able to tell them my situation.”

“As long as got some food in the cupboard to feed the kids, I'm happy.”

She said “some weeks are tighter than others”, depending on what school camps, sports fees and bills throw her way. 

“We are living week-to-week. We try and designate tax time to pay the major bills,” she said. 

“Some weeks you rob Peter to pay Paul.”

She said changing her electricity provider has helped drastically and they were saving – where they could – for a family holiday to her husband’s native New Zealand next year.