Anglicare Australia recently released its annual Rental Affordability Snapshot (RAS) report, and the findings for Kempsey and eight other locations on the North Coast of NSW are particularly alarming.
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The report looked at rental properties advertised for rent on a weekend in early April, then identified which would be affordable for low-income earners. Of the 775 private rentals examined over nine locations, only 178 were found to be accessible to low-income earners.
CEO of Anglicare North Coast, Estelle Graham spoke to the Argus about what the findings mean for Kempsey and the other eight areas mentioned in the report.
"There is a really serious issue here; it is clear from the findings that people on any type of Centrelink payment who are trying to rent a home in our region will encounter extreme difficulties," she said.
"For many, including young and older single people, it is unlikely they will be able to find an affordable home. Families who are working and earning the minimum wage are only slightly better off."
According to the data, rental affordability is down across the entire market, and even those that are affordable, there is too much demand and not enough housing.
"There is a lot of competition for the few properties available to low-income earners, they are competing against people with work, as well as all the other low-income earners," Ms Graham said.
Despite the distressing figures, Ms Graham says Anglicare is more concerned with starting a conversation to exhibit change rather than assigning blame.
"This by no means shows what prices are like year round, it's a snapshot of one particular weekend, this is more of a starting point, to start a conversation and get the word out there about this issue," Ms Graham said.
"Nationally we are asking for a significant increase in affordable housing, we need 300,000 new social properties across Australia. People on low incomes are being pushed out of the market."
The Rental Affordability Snapshot (RAS) report has been operating for the last nine years, and the North Coast of NSW has been participating for eight years; however, Ms Graham believes this year could be the time for a change.
"This year it came out at an interesting time, there is an upcoming Federal Election, it's the first time to my knowledge that the report has come out during an election," she said.
"We do it every year at the same time, and then the next step is to show the report to our local members, we use it as an advocacy tool, research to back up what we say."
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