What is Moneycare? The Salvation Army initiative is fighting poverty by improving financial literacy
As Australia grapples with a cost-of-living crisis, thousands of Australians are being overwhelmed by financial pressures. The Salvation Army’s free and confidential financial counselling service, Moneycare, is looking to offer support and help Australians improve their financial situation. Moneycare Queensland’s state manager Vicky Penner explains how …
What is Moneycare and who does it support?
The Salvation Army’s free and confidential financial counselling service is called Moneycare. With more than four decades of dedicated experience in financial counselling and a strong national framework, Moneycare has steadily expanded across Queensland over the past 20 years, helping people navigate some of life’s most complex financial challenges. Community members turn to Moneycare during times of acute financial distress, whether due to job loss, relationship breakdown, domestic and family violence, gambling harm, small business pressure, or natural disasters, all of which have significantly impacted Queensland in recent years.
Our approach is trauma-informed, person-centred, and grounded in dignity and respect. Moneycare We operate under a national practice model backed by more than 45 years of sector expertise. Our team receives extensive training, works to high-quality practice standards, and benefits from continuous professional development. This foundation allows us to deliver consistent, exceptional support to clients across diverse communities. At the request of the community member, Moneycare provides the type of support they want, whether that is face-to-face or flexible hybrid options via phone and video, increasing access across urban, regional, and remote areas.
In Queensland we also deliver services through key outreach partnerships with organisations such as Relationships Australia, Gambling Help services, local councils, and community centres including Ipswich City Council, Redbank Plains Community Service, Southport Community Centre through Gold Coast City Council, and the Laidley and Lowood Community Centres. Financial counselling is not just about managing money, it is about walking alongside people in crisis and helping them find stability, hope, and direction. At Moneycare, we work with individuals who are experiencing shame, stigma, homelessness, financial abuse, addiction, and trauma. We honour every person’s story, and through frameworks such as the Image of God model, developed through The Salvation Army’s Doorways emergency relief program, we aim to restore not just financial wellbeing but also personal worth and human dignity.
Many of the people we support have lost sight of their value, often due to unprocessed trauma. This can lead to harmful coping behaviours, such as overspending or addiction, in an attempt to numb emotional pain. Our role is to look beyond those behaviours and offer practical, compassionate support that fosters lasting change. We integrate financial strategies with emotional insight. Using tools such as the Kessler-6 and the Personal Wellbeing Index, we assess mental health and work collaboratively with clients to design SMART, person-centred case plans. This holistic, strengths based approach empowers people to stabilise their finances, improve wellbeing, and rebuild their lives with confidence.
Why is funding needed to support Moneycare?
Every day, our financial counsellors work with individuals and families who are struggling with the rising cost of living
We help people align their spending with personal values, develop mindful, sustainable financial habits, and build long-term resilience through values-based planning. Our financial education and capability-building initiatives support people at every stage of life, from students to seniors. Central to this is You are the Boss (YTB), our leading financial literacy program, which equips individuals with the knowledge and tools to make informed financial decisions. We also provide access to safe lending referrals, matched savings programs, and holistic support for those experiencing trauma, family violence, business hardship, or gambling-related harm.
Moneycare is part of a sector that has played a leading role in driving meaningful financial reform. These efforts include capping exploitative payday lending interest rates, advocating for Buy Now, Pay Later services to be regulated as credit, and supporting gambling reforms such as banning credit card use, strengthening identity and source-of-funds checks, and improving self-exclusion mechanisms for vulnerable users. We also collaborate with major and digital banks to advocate for fair and compassionate hardship policies, ensuring that debt and repayment strategies reflect the real challenges people face. More recently, we have begun engaging with insurance providers to achieve fairer outcomes for clients experiencing vulnerability or disaster-related financial strain.
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Why should the community here in Brisbane support the Red Shield Appeal in 2025 for Moneycare?
When you support Moneycare, you are not just funding a service; you are investing in a financially resilient and emotionally supported future for individuals, families, and communities. With the right funding, we can expand our reach, grow the next generation of financial counsellors, strengthen partnerships, and continue developing and delivering basic financial education to address the unmet needs in diverse communities across Queensland and beyond.
Together, we can create a future where no one is left behind in a financial crisis. Everyone has value, and with the right support, they can move forward with strength, confidence, and dignity.
This article was assembled in partnership with The Salvation Army. For more information on the Moneycare initiative, head to The Salvation Army website. To make a donation towards The Red Shield appeal, click here.
