For single mother, Joanne Mauceri, winter is particularly tough.

"Some weeks it gets to the stage where you have to choose between paying the bills and stocking the cupboard," Joanne says.

Coming from a working class family, Joanne finished high school and worked most of her life.

Poverty was certainly something she never thought she would experience until circumstance saw her desperately seeking help.

Fleeing from two abusive and violent relationships, Joanne had to start over with nothing and no financial support.

Now with a second child who is six months old, Joanne finds it difficult to get out of that cycle of financial hardship.

"Once you get into this ditch, it's hard to get out," she says. "You really have to fight for everything."

According to the Sydney Anglican charity Anglicare, sole parent families are more likely to suffer financial hardship than other groups in Sydney this winter, with many forced to choose between paying the heating bills and for food.

A recent Anglicare survey found more than 40 per cent of people asking for financial assistance to pay electricity bills over winter were sole parents.

Many have also require assistance with food provision.

According to Mr Peter Kell, CEO of ANGLICARE, winter is a particularly difficult time for families struggling with poverty.

"Our clients are so financially stretched that any sudden emergencies, like a child falling ill, will mean that there will be no additional funds available to pay the bills or put food on the table," Mr Kell says.

The survey found the four most common reasons for seeking help were the increase in the number of bills (19.3%), financial hardship (13.1%), medical expenses (12.2%) and unexpected bills (11.3%).

Despite having a low unemployment rate, Australia has the third-highest level of parental joblessness across 17 OECD countries.

For further information visit the Anglicare website.