Central Victorian youth struggling to rent in Bendigo

Carolynn Roberts moved out of her mother’s house when she started university and had been on the move until recently.

She said the cost of renting on her limited income had made for an unstable living situation.

Miss Roberts, 22, said she receives $460 a fortnight in Youth Allowance payments.

Renting the house she now shares with her partner Jarrad Camm costs $250 a week.

“It’s quite hard because, as a student, people look at you like you can’t afford to live anywhere other than with your parents,” she said.

“I had a few rental agents tell me that, and I’m like, ‘Well that might be the case, but I need somewhere to live’.”

Similarly, 19-year-old Telisha Brown is able to afford her rent because she shares the household’s costs with her partner.

His wage is paying for food.

Miss Brown is the mother of a toddler, and receives just over $1000 a fortnight in support payments for herself and her child.

Like Miss Roberts, Miss Brown said she struggled to find a suitable house to rent for less than $300 a week.

“It’s not easy for young people to get into the rental market,” she said.

“You get knocked back if you’re a low income earner, and if you do get approved, you struggle anyway.

“My whole pay is pretty much gone as soon as I get paid.”

Miss Brown said she had considered getting a job, but would then have to pay for daycare. 

“It’s too hard to get into the workforce as well at the moment, especially if you haven’t got experience or have taken time out,” she said.

Both women said they knew many people in similar positions. 

“I’ve got a few friends who are studying at the moment, and they have two or three jobs just so they can afford to live out of home,” Miss Brown said.

“A few single parents are living at home with their parents and their children because they can’t afford to rent around the Bendigo area.

“Renting a house shouldn’t cost your whole pay.”

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Households on the minimum wage fared better than those on income support, wrote Anglicare Victoria in its 2016 Rental Affordability Snapshot.

Double-income minimum wage families had the greatest access to affordable and appropriate rentals.

Single income couple families and single income working families were worse off, but still in a better position than families on benefits.  

Twelve percent of regional listings were affordable and appropriate for single people on the minimum wage. 

Aged pensioners fared the best of all household types on income support payments, with 10 percent of regional properties affordable and appropriate for couples and six percent for singles. 

Less than 10 percent of the 21,478 listings considered in the study were suitable for regional families with children who were receiving benefits.

One percent was suitable for single people on a disability support pension; less than one percent for recipients of Newstart Allowance, and none for single people on Youth Allowance. 

The report concluded that inadequate access to affordable and appropriate housing on the private rental market for people on low incomes was an entrenched problem across Victoria:

“To enter the private rental market, people must do one or both of the following: Pay well beyond what they can afford to secure a roof over their head, or reside in dwellings that are inappropriate for their own and their families’ needs.”