Demand For RMHC NZ’s Services Skyrockets As Charity Faces Increasing Pressure

4 September 2024 – A new report has revealed demand for Ronald McDonald House Charities® New Zealand (RMHC® NZ) services has increased 27.2% in 2023 compared to 2022. This comes at a time where the charity is facing increasing pressure, with funding unable to keep up with growing demand.

For over 30 years, RMHC NZ has provided support to families when their child is in a New Zealand hospital away from home, offering free accommodation near the hospital, home-cooked meals, and emotional support during some of their toughest times.

In 2023, the charity supported more families than ever before, according to RMHC’s annual Social Impact Report, which was released today. RMHC NZ supported 4,452 eligible families in 2023, an increase from 3,500 families the year prior.

As a result of the support provided by RMHC NZ in 2023, Kiwi families saved a staggering $9,876,204 in accommodation, food, and parking costs. This meant these families could focus on caring for their sick children when they needed them most.

RMHC NZ CEO Wayne Howett says the jump in demand for services is in part due to an increase in families struggling with the cost of living.

“In recent years, we’ve worked with a lot more families living as close as South and West Auckland who can’t afford transportation for frequent visits to the hospital.”

Other factors include resourcing challenges within the healthcare sector, as well as ongoing health reforms.

In order to meet the increasing demand, RMHC NZ’s Houses across the country have been operating at maximum capacity – a continuing trend that has been observed since the Covid-19 pandemic took off in 2020.

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Following the spike in families supported in 2023, the organisation is still experiencing high demand, with 2024 on track to surpass last year's figures. To this day RMHC NZ has never turned an eligible family away, however, with mounting pressures and demand on the organisation, Howett explains that this track record is at threat.

“RMHC NZ provides vital support to Kiwis during times of need but without funding, we may have to start turning families away.”

One of the charity’s concerns is the increasing complexity of needs from families.

"In 1989, when the first Ronald McDonald House opened, New Zealand was made up of only 3.2 million people. Today, our population exceeds 5 million, and the level of social complexity facing families has increased enormously," says Howett.

“Sickness in children is non-discriminatory, meaning we support families from all walks of life. There are sometimes complex social dynamics at play and this means more of our resources are being diverted towards helping our staff navigate through these challenges to ensure we continue to provide our brand of “compassionate hospitality” as well as the safety of everyone in our facilities.”

In response to this, RMHC NZ in 2021 introduced a Whānau Liaison role in its Auckland House. The Whānau Liaison is a qualified paediatric social worker, who serves as a vital link between the families, RMHC NZ, and the hospital.

This role was implemented in response to the growing challenges families are facing when they arrive at the Houses in our biggest city, and their psycho-social support for families has significantly contributed to the organisation's measurable impact over the past year. In 2023 alone, 110 families benefited from the service.

RMHC NZ’s latest Impact Lab GoodMeasure Report, completed March 2024, found that for every dollar invested into RMHC NZ, there was a social return on investment of $5.50 for the country; almost $52 million of measurable good delivered to New Zealand society.

"While we’re incredibly proud of our growing social impact, what's at stake here is more than numbers on a page,” Howett explains.

“The work being done by RMHC NZ gives Kiwi families the certainty that they can be with their hospitalised children no matter how far away they live from the necessary medical care.”

"The numbers from the last 12 months are a staggering reminder of how much work it takes to keep the wheels turning at RMHC NZ, but with no sign of demand slowing down, we are steadily approaching a future where it will be impossible for us to provide a ‘home-away-from-home’ to every eligible Kiwi unless we gain additional funding."

Report

You can read the full RMHC Social Impact report here: Impact Report 2023 (adobe.com)

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