Mid North Budgeting Service Trust is handling 500 cases this year, twice their workload from the previous year, and trust co-ordinator Kane Lyndon says most of that increase has come from policy changes.
"I'd say about 95 per cent of clients have come from Work and Income," said Mrs Lyndon. "We traditionally get a lot from Work and Income but that change has bought a lot more."
The Mid North Budgeting Services Trust was allocated an extra $4000 but Mrs Lyndon said more was needed.
Mrs Lyndon is the only full-time employee at the Mid North Budgeting Services Trust with another part time employee and volunteers taking up the remainder of case loads.
Mrs Lyndon doesn't expect the money to go very far, but she is considering putting it towards an outreach facility in outlying regions.
"It will help a bit towards the extra transport costs of getting to and from Kaikohe," Mrs Lyndon said.
Catherine Ross, the manager for Kaitaia Community House Budgeting Services, said operational costs would swallow up the $3000 it received .
"We have a contract to handle 53 cases but we are handling close to 150 at the moment," Mrs Ross said.
"Sometimes entire families turn up at our facilities so space can be very tight as well."
Space is also very tight at the Far North Budgeting Management Service where coordinator Lynda Grieg said she was trying to juggle three rooms between four case managers.
"It's often a case of playing musical rooms," Mrs Grieg said. "I think we may put the money towards renting another room.
Mrs Grieg said the Far North Budgeting Management Service would have to work out what to do.
"We're a budgeting service so we need to be able to work under our own budget," Mrs Greig said.
"It would be nice to get that money on an ongoing basis."
Paula Bennett, Minister of Social Development wouldn't comment on whether or not extra ongoing funding would be available to help them cope with extra work, stating that was the reason for the one-off payment of $25,450.
"In recognition of the fact these services are coping with an increased demand, this funding is designed to alleviate some of that pressure."