‘The pension’s not going up’: 81-year-old fears being left on the street in Gold Coast rental crisis
An 81-year-old pensioner says he’s experiencing a cruel catch-22 that could leave him homeless by January.
A Gold Coast pensioner is spending his Christmas and New Year desperately trying to find a new home in the midst of a housing crisis as he faces eviction from his Bundall rental of 30 years.
After five months of searching, Stephen Scale, 81, is yet to find a suitable place he can afford on his pension, leaving him and his family at risk of homelessness by mid‑January.
“We’ve been renting for over 30 years,” he said.
“We were handed a six‑month notice to leave the premises.
“It came as a bit of a surprise and I can understand they’re within their rights, but it was a big shock to me.”
He said he’s stuck in a cruel catch‑22 – knocked back from social housing for “earning too much” while the private market demands “more than he can afford”.
“I’ve explained the situation (to the Department of Housing) like I’m on a pension – I don’t get a lot because I’m married and my wife works as a casual,” he said.
“And they were saying we earn too much to qualify for a government house.
“And then when you go and try and get a rental, you’re not earning enough to pay the rent.
“It’s nearly impossible.”
According to a recent Rent Report by Domain, the Gold Coast’s median asking weekly rent for a house is now $900 – which is $120 more than Sydney’s, while the vacancy rate remains below one per cent.
Mr Scale said despite the city’s skyrocketing rent, the pension hasn’t risen enough to keep up.
“Our rent doubled in less than 18 months – it went from $350 to $620 in just over a year.”
Mr Scale said the crisis is hitting seniors hard.
“It’s not just the young people who are homeless, it’s the pensioners too.
“I’ve just got no control over my destiny.”
He said he knows people his age who have been living in their cars.
“The older people are being forgotten and just haven’t got the support,” he said.
“It’s a chronic problem.”
He said since receiving the notice to vacate, the stress had taken a serious toll.
“It hit me really hard,” he said.
“I lost about 9kg in six or seven days and suffered very much from anxiety and stress and panic attacks – I’m on medication for that.”
He said leaving the Gold Coast isn’t feasible: his wife, 63, works casual shifts locally, his disabled son is on the disability pension, and they pool income to keep renting near established support networks.
“A big problem is if you’re paying minimal rent, you’ve got minimal chance of getting any work.
“Where we are now, my wife’s got a good network.
“But if you go out to the bush somewhere … or out the back of Coomera somewhere, there’s no work there.”
He said his family can’t help.
“My family can’t help me, my daughter is in the same situation in Melbourne, they just put her rent up.
“I feel like a burden.” he said.
“I hope people remember there’s older people, it could be somebody’s father and try and think what would they do if their father or grandfather was out on the street.”
A Department of Housing and Public Works spokesperson said while they cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, “staff work proactively with all customers in addressing their housing needs including arrange of services and products to help people find, get and keep private rental homes including bond loans, rental security subsidies and rental grants.”
“The department also funds several programs to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness including crisis accommodation, the Immediate Housing Response (IHR) and enhanced outreach through nine Specialist Homelessness Services in the Gold Coast Local Government Area,” they said.
They said allocations to social housing are determined by the individual needs of applicants, taking into account the person or family’s circumstances, their wellbeing, financial status and their ability to independently sustain a tenancy.
“Through this process we can prioritise the most vulnerable Queenslanders to support them into safe and stable housing.”
In September, the maximum Age Pension for couples increased by $22.40 each per fortnight due to indexation, taking the combined maximum payment to $1,777
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Originally published as ‘The pension’s not going up’: 81-year-old fears being left on the street in Gold Coast rental crisis
