And it's being felt most keenly in rural areas with an alarming number of people surviving off just $16.96 a day.

These alarming findings have prompted the Salvation Army to call on both sides of politics to make poverty a key Federal Election issue.

“The key findings of this horrific new report paint a bleak picture of what real life is for Australians on the breadline,” says The Salvation Army's Territorial Communications and Fundraising Secretary, Major Bruce Harmer.

“We need serious funding to develop solutions to the complex issues of entrenched poverty”.

The Salvation Army is also calling on Australians to support its 2016 Red Shield Appeal this weekend so that it can direct more funding to domestic violence and family support services.

“It's very hard to change your circumstances when your trying to survive on $15 a day after your accommodation is paid for”, says Major Harmer.

“A donation to the Salvation Army will help us walk alongside families and individuals for the long haul”.

Your donation will make an everlasting change.”

The Salvation Army's 5th National Economic and Social Impact Survey surveyed more than 1600 Salvation Army clients across Australia and unearthed some worrying trends.

- The report uncovered that family violence is the key reason why 37 percent of women moved in the past 12 months.

- Nearly 1 in 5 respondents identified as being either homeless or living in temporary accommodation.

- The report also shows people from regional towns and rural areas are clearly over-represented in the survey, as are Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander people.

- As far as housing goes 68 per cent of clients are now suffering extreme housing stress with family violence the leading cause of housing transiency.

- A further 40 per cent of people surveyed said that they had moved house an average of three times in just 12 months.

- 86 percent of clients (and 58 percent of households with children) report severe deprivation and now go without five or more basic items such as medical treatment or three meals a day.

- Numerous clients in regional Australia live of just $16.69 a day (to pay for everything after housing and accommodation is paid for.)

- 20 percent (one in five) cannot afford medical treatment or medicines that are prescribed for their child and 42 per cent (two in five) cannot afford a yearly dental check-up for their child.

- More than half of all parents surveyed (six out of ten) cannot afford an internet connection for their child.

The report states that this places significant risk of social exclusion and hinders their ability to fully participate in schooling.

“We see very clearly from this research that many children are at a significant risk of social exclusion because of generational poverty, unemployment and housing instability” Major Harmer said.

“Too many rural Australians are hurting badly and it's alarming”.

Salvation Army Volunteers will be out in force this weekend in an effort to combat the report's findings as part of the Red Shield Appeal.

Volunteers will be setting up a series of static points throughout Lithgow this weekend including the Lithgow Valley Plaza, Woolworths Shopping Centre, Bunnings and McDonalds.

There will also be Salvation Army volunteers at all major sporting grounds across the weekend.

The big doorknock nationwide is Saturday and Sunday May 28 and 29.

People wanting to volunteer should simply call 13 SALVOS (13 72 58) or register on line at salvos.org.au/volunteer.

You can donate to the Red Shield Doorknock by calling 13 SALVO (13 72 58), online at salvos.org.au, in person at any Westpac branch or Salvos Store or by posting a cheque to PO Box 9888 in your capital city.