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How even working residents can find themselves desperate for rentals

OPINION: As a prospective tenant, the current Northern Rivers’ housing crisis is like nothing I’ve ever seen.

Moving in! Many young Northern Rivers residents are calling on friends and family to help them survive the rental crisis.
Moving in! Many young Northern Rivers residents are calling on friends and family to help them survive the rental crisis.

A growing number of well-paid Northern Rivers residents are finding it impossible to lease a rental.

How would I know? I am one of them.

Moving recently to join The Northern Star team, I knew finding a rental would be hard but I didn't realise just how hard.

Working in Warwick I could easily find two-bedroom units/houses around the $250-300 mark.

Comparatively, in Lismore the average rental is $400 per week according to April realestate.com.au statistics.

Friends living in the heart of Brisbane barely pay more at a $450 per week in rent on average.

And that is if you can find a rental to begin with.

As of this week, my property search narrows to 10 places I could hypothetically afford.

But I count myself lucky as six of those are one-bedroom properties, ruling out almost families or extended households.

The disheartening hunt is something Ballina mum Aiesha McRam got right when she said it felt like "hitting a brick wall".

I recently joined the Northern Star from Warwick earlier this April.
I recently joined the Northern Star from Warwick earlier this April.

The gruelling ordeal is especially rough for younger Northern Rivers residents.

Just recently, Social Futures joined the call for greater Federal funding to be directed to social housing and support services.

CEO Tony Davies said in March alone Social Futures and its partners supported 90 homeless young people in the Northern Rivers region with advice, counselling, emergency accommodation and other support.

Last year more than 900 young people in the Northern Rivers sought assistance.

"Young people are copping it from all directions," Mr Davies said.

"House prices and rents are on the rise, the moratorium on rental evictions is coming to an end, Jobseeker rates have been cut dramatically and JobKeeper withdrawn.

"Many young people, if they are working at all, are in precarious and vulnerable work and their jobs are threatened by job subsidies disappearing.

"For many, it's already an anxious time. The young people we see report increases in anxiety as the result of recent natural disasters and the pandemic. Housing stress further compounds their concerns."

Many are finding it hard to find suitable properties.
Many are finding it hard to find suitable properties.

Many options have been floated to fix the crisis since I moved but answers such as changing short-term holiday legislation and building more social housing only seem like one jigsaw piece in a much larger and complicated puzzle.

Even the old advice to move to Casino no longer seems to be a reality, according North Coast Community Housing CEO John McKenna.

"People used to say 'why do people want to live in Byron, why don't they move out to Casino?'," he said to Greens candidate for Richmond Mandy Nolan on Monday.

"Because their families are here, their work is here.

"But the other issue is now Casino has got no housing either.

"There is nowhere."

Have a story like mine you'd like to share? Contact me via tessa.flemming@news.com.au

Originally published as How even working residents can find themselves desperate for rentals

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/lismore/how-even-working-residents-can-find-themselves-desperate-for-rentals/news-story/497274ba525fbb09bddc5000cebc3f90