Behind the facts and figures showing Victoria’s rental crisis is getting worse are individuals and families struggling to keep rooves over their heads, and Nytarra is one of the people facing that same struggle.
Nytarra used to rent a whole house in Seymour for herself. Then she had to take in other people to help meet the cost, and now another increase, means even with people contributing to the cost, she can’t afford to stay.
“I’m having to move out,” she said.
“It’s a far cry from when I used to rent this place by myself comfortably. Then I had to open my house up to two others to get by and now I can’t even afford to live here while sharing.”
The Rental Affordability Index is published annually by SGS Economics and Planning, National Shelter, Brotherhood of St Laurence and Beyond Bank. It shows that rental affordability has worsened in all major Australian cities and regions, except for Hobart and Canberra, and that just one town — Numurkah — across the Goulburn, Murray and Campaspe valleys has “affordable” rentals.
Nytarra is currently paying $240 per fortnight in a town the latest Rental Affordability Index suggests is at an “acceptable” level, but what another increase means she can’t afford to stay.
She said combined increases in rent, utilities and food were constantly making basic living unaffordable.
“I was able to afford that ($240 per fortnight) and keep food on the table. Now it’s a choice of do I pay the rent or do I buy fresh food,” she said.
Nytarra lives with chronic pain, which limits her to working 30 hours a week, living off $1000 a fortnight.
“I’ve always been frugal because of the Centrelink payment,” she said.
“You used to go to the shop and milk used to be 50 cents and now it’s a $1.60. I used to be able to buy fresh fruit and veg, now I have to go to the frozen section not the fresh. It just feels like fruit is a luxury for me unless I go to FoodShare.
“I even once got my cupboards so bare that I went to Afterpay.”
She said not being able to afford fresh food impacts her health and has resorted to buying vitamins instead of fresh food.
“It’s cheaper to go and buy a multivitamin instead of going and buying fresh fruit and vegetables because I can spend $13 for multivitamins for all the vitamins I need whereas $13 wouldn’t even cover a small amount of fruit and vegetables,” she said.
Nytarra said it had always been a struggle, but recently it had felt like there was no chance of getting ahead.
“I used to be able to live, it wasn’t the best living on Centrelink, but I was able to get an apple and even a decent amount of fruit and veg,” she said.
“I even know people on two incomes who struggle.
“I don’t see myself as able to even put any money away to get my own place or a better car.
“It’s depressing. I suffer from severe depression as it is.”
She doesn’t blame landlords for increasing rents, saying they’re facing growing mortgages, but said Centrelink payments should be increased to the levels paid during the COVID crisis to help people meet their basic costs of living.
Despite her situation, Nytarra sees herself as one of the lucky ones with a friend willing to take her in.
“A friend of mine, she owns a house and she needed someone to move in and help cover the mortgage,” she said.
“I have food and a roof over my head, there’s a lot of people who don’t.”
It’s a fortuitous situation though, two people with a need and able to help each other, but not all have such an option, with some resorting to living in tents.
“Thankfully my support system, we take each other in and help each other out,” Nytarra said.
“It’s still a fear though. Every time you go forward something draws you back.
“My heart goes out to everyone who’s struggling with this. There isn’t really anywhere to go.
“The next stop would be either finding a tent or caravan and putting it on someone’s property.”