In the previous year, Belinda submitted more than 100 rental housing applications but was consistently turned down.
The 39-year-old Australian single mother of four currently resides in a transitional shelter in Campbelltown, which is southwest of Sydney. She has six months to find a home that costs less than A$500 ($340) per week, or she runs the risk of being forced to sleep on the streets.
‘I’m not sure what to do next or where to go. I have a lot of furniture in my home and I don’t really want to get rid of it. I really don’t want to get rid of my puppy or cat,’ Belinda stated. ‘To be honest with you, it’s a little worrisome.’
What was already one of the least affordable rental markets in the world has been further exacerbated by unrelentingly rising rents, eight straight increases in interest rates, rising living expenses, and severe natural disasters over the past several years.
According to SGS Economics and Planning’s annual Rental Affordability Index report, every state capital city is seeing a fall in rental affordability this year.
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