A RENTAL crisis in Albury could force some families onto the streets.
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That is the fear of Anglicare, which yesterday released a study revealing low-income singles in Albury were bearing the brunt of the pain.
Single parents were not immune from such a drastic development.
“There’s been a crisis in many areas for some time,” Anglicare’s Simon Bennett said.
“Obviously when we look at the whole western Riverina as well as southern NSW there’s been virtually no increase in the Newstart allowance.
“It’s not getting better at this point in time.”
In Albury there are no properties affordable and appropriate for singles on Newstart or the Youth Allowance.
Single-parent families on either payment had only two or three rental properties from which to choose.
Just 8.7 per cent of properties in Albury were considered affordable for a single parent on the minimum wage.
The findings are part of Anglicare’s annual national Rental Affordability Snapshot. Wodonga and the rest of the North East were not part of the study.
Mr Bennett — Anglicare’s director of community services for NSW South and West — said while the federal government had indicated it was trying to address the issue, so far nothing had eventuated.
“If governments are serious about helping single parents move into the workforce they must start looking at the difficulties for low-wage parents,” he said.
“When you look at the Newstart allowance the maximum fortnightly payment for singles is $497 a fortnight.
“If you’re looking at rentals, straight away that’s $200 a week gone.
“Then you only have $97 a fortnight to live on.
“The government has to look at the allowances provided and they need to look at what needs to be increased and actually support the lower income families greater.”
Mr Bennett said Anglicare was unable to find any affordable housing for singles on Newstart anywhere in southern NSW.
Rent assistance needed to be increased to help singles and families on low-paying benefits, he said, otherwise the impact on families “is going to be massive”.
“Anglicare and other community welfare organisations will see larger numbers coming in for support through emergency relief,” Mr Bennett said.
“Obviously there’s the potential there for some families becoming homeless — they won’t be able to pay the rent.
“That then puts children on the street along with their parents.”
Mr Bennett said organisations could only do so much with government funding.
“We’re going to see more and more calls come in for assistance with regard to food,” he said.
“Then you put on top of this the increases in electricity in the past few years, the increases coming up in gas and the cost of fuel at the moment.
“There’s no light at the end of the tunnel.”