Lots of great ideas take root in South Australia.

In the past, some of them, such as the stump jump plough and the stripper harvester, did much to put bread on the tables of Australian battlers.

Now, a digital innovation, launched by the Salvation Army and the South Australian Government, is aiming to make life more manageable for low-income families and people living on the streets.

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The “Affordable Living SA App” is the brainchild of Sharon Maslen, the program director of the Salvation Army’s financial counselling service in South Australia.

The free app, which is available to people who have an Apple or Android smartphone, is something akin to a social life-support unit for people battling to makes ends meet.

Need food? The app gives a list of emergency suppliers of free groceries and community meals.

Just lost your job? You can get free confidential guidance from a Salvation Army financial counsellor.

Need to send out job applications? Find out how low-income earners can get free stamps from Australia Post.

Research conducted by the Salvation Army found that 62 per cent of homeless people in South Australia owned a smartphone.

“The percentage is higher for low-income and unemployed people,” Ms Maslen said.

“We soon realised that a mobile app that gave people information and ways to access services in the palm of their hands would be useful.”

Ms Maslen hit on the idea of the app after analysing the reasons why most people were ringing the Salvos’ telephone counselling service.

“Most were not ringing to get a referral to a financial counsellor,” she said.

“They were looking for information, so we developed the app.”

The response has been overwhelming since last month’s launch, with thousands of people downloading the mobile service.

Ms Maslen said most people were using the service to find rental accommodation or buy their first home.

Another popular section was the utilities price comparator that helped energy users to select the cheapest electricity and gas suppliers in their town or suburb.

While the mobile service is partly funded by the SA Government, it seems almost inevitable that other states will launch similar services.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of the app is that it puts South Australians in touch with almost every major essential service available in the state.

Ms Maslen said she had not yet been approached by the Federal Government to put the app on a national footing.

The Affordable Living SA App is free to download on both iPhone and Android devices.