Couch surfing between four houses at 49 is not how Lynda imagined her future when she signed her first tenancy agreement at 19 years of age.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
During the next 30 years, Lynda shifted from rental property to rental property in the Manning Valley as landlords sold each house that she called home. Two houses were home for more than 20 of those 30 years, in addition to the shorter tenancies; and with each notice to vacate, Lynda would scour real estate agency listings in the search for a new property to rent - sadly, today she is homeless.
The decades saw Lynda grow her family, and now it consists of her two sons; Luke, 19, Tyler, 23, and family pets; a dog, Hunter, a cat, Cena, and bird, Barnsey.
Two years and more than 30 rejected tenancy applications now sees her family unit fractured, Lynda couch surfs between four different houses, and as for her sons, she says "one is staying with his girlfriend and the other is couch surfing as well."
Lynda lives with the physical and emotional impacts of the chronic autoimmune disease, lupus, and about five years ago she secured federal government financial support with access to the Disability Support Pension. She says it is about $870 a fortnight, and consequently, means she must search for, and try to rent, properties priced at no more than $250 a week.
Lynda's personal budget for rent is much higher than is recommended by the recently released, Samaritans 2019 Rental Affordability Snapshot Report. The report identifies a suitable rental property as one that takes up less than 30 per cent of a household's income. It states $157.41 is affordable rent for a single person aged over 21 on the Disability Support Pension.
"There's not much in my price range. I would love a home with two or three bedrooms and I don't care where it is, as long as it is in this area, around Wingham, Taree and Old Bar," Lynda said.
"It's depressing, it's stressful and it's hard, and there is less available now in my price range, add to that there are more people wanting those homes.
"To be honest, I don't know what the solution is for me, I've just got to keep trying and applying for the properties I can afford to rent.
"I've tried ads on gumtree, and the boys are frustrated like me, as they'd like a permanent place. I'm lucky they are older and not young and vulnerable like other families who are in the same situation.
"I want to be in my own place with my dog, my cat and my bird and the two boys, when they need somewhere. I just want a place to call home."
Lynda recognises that ownership of pets could be a barrier to securing a rental property.
"Hunter is family and I'd never get rid of him to get a house. He is totally harmless and just likes to lie down and sleep all day, he is family."
According to the Tenants' Union of NSW there is no term in the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) that prohibits tenants from keeping a pet, or that requires landlord's consent before you keep a pet. However, many landlords will include a clause restricting pets in the residential tenancy agreement, and there is no specific ban on them doing so, according to its guide to renting with pets in NSW.
Over the last two years Lynda says she has completed tenancy applications for more than 30 homes and describes it as "increasingly frustrating and challenging".
"There are some real estate agencies that treat you like you are a second class person because you need to rent, you feel judged, and it can be so hard to deal with the constant knock backs, but you've just got to keep trying and applying."
Homelessness and housing affordability stress is growing in the Taree region, according to Samaritans' community services manager, Michelle Stocks.
Samaritans in Victoria Street, Taree is the only homelessness service in the area, and Ms Stocks reveals, "we are seeing huge numbers of people presenting to our service that are either homeless or experiencing housing affordability stress, or who are in significant rental arrears and receiving eviction notices."
"For the month of April 152 new people presented to our service, and that's not existing clients. Forty seven people presented for help because of inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions, and then another 44 presented for domestic and family violence. There is a huge and complex need for support.
"There are so many different variables as to why a person is in a vulnerable situation. It's not the historical old adage, 'oh everyone is a dole bludger and they just want to sit around and do nothing', there's more to it, and it's complex.
"We have a lot of single women aged over 55 years on our books that we continue to support because they are very hard to house. To find affordable housing for someone who is on an aged pension, which would usually be a single person, there's just not the availability.
"Overcrowding is a big issue because there isn't property availability, you would call it couch surfing because there really is just nowhere for that person to sleep.
"We are putting them in week-by-week accommodation in hotels. We are always in crisis. Samaritans won't see someone sleep on the street, and so we rely heavily on motels and taverns and the like, to just make sure someone has a roof over their head, and we also have our refuge for women that are fleeing domestic violence.
"We do have a cohort of rough sleepers in the Taree area, and some people for whatever reason, chose to remain as rough sleepers, but we try to offer them outreach support."
Ms Stocks says "our largest demographic is people who are on some kind type of Centrelink benefit."
"Centrelink benefits don't equate to what market value rents are, and that's why people rely on social housing, but there is not enough social housing availability in the region to meet that growing need.
"My team in Taree works very hard to build relationships with real estate agents to offer that ongoing commitment that they will continue to support people if they agree to house them, to make sure that they don't get into the same situation, because we don't want them to again present to us as homeless.
"Sometimes people do fall backwards, it's not always just people saying, 'I don't want to pay my rent this week' - mental health is a very big issue, drug and alcohol issues is another, and there are also people with traumatic pasts that can put up really big barriers for people functioning.
"My staff face very, very challenging situations on a daily basis and it feels never ending, but when they do get to house someone who has come from a really traumatic experience, or who has been homeless for a long time, and has finally been able to get their foot in the door, that is what makes them turn up the next day."
Deeper Reading:
While you're with us...
Did you know the Manning River Times is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: SIGN UP HERE.