When personal circumstances forced Goulburn resident Iris Dallier to look for affordable rental accommodation in the city, she was in for a surprise.
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The 69-year-old, who is unable to work due to a disability, had been making trips to the real estate offices every week for the past year.
She had no rental history and with her search yielding no result, Iris was starting to lose hope.
"I didn't know what to do and Anglicare helped me walk through the process. The day I heard I'd found a private rental accommodation, I cried," she said.
Anglicare's annual Rental Affordability Snapshot has revealed that post-COVID there is a lack of affordable housing options in the city, particularly for those on low incomes.
The only category which showed reasonable availability were couples with children on minimum wage receiving the family tax benefit.
According to statistics from VERTO's Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service (TAAS), compared to the previous year, there has been an increase of 61 per cent of people experiencing an increase in their rent, including tenants from Goulburn.
The statistics further reveal that Goulburn is one of the regions experiencing rapidly decreasing rental vacancy rates, with vacancies in some areas as low as 0.7 per cent.
CEO Ron Maxwell said that over the past 12 months the not-for-profit organisation has seen a 47 per cent increase in the risk of homelessness in Goulburn compared to the previous year.
VERTO's TAAS is a free service that provides advice and support to tenants facing rental challenges, helping them understand their rights and responsibilities and explore their options.
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