The Catholic Weekly 7 August 2022

RENTS ACROSS most of Sydney will cost the aver- age worker between one- and two-thirds of their wage, but regional NSW is also ris- ing fast, according to new re- search. And for a person on Job- seeker with children, there are only a handful of affordable properties across the entire country. Only a week ago The Catholic Weekly reported that charities are seeing record numbers of first-time clients and giving away increasing amounts of donations. New research released for homelessness week by Every- body’s Home, the national campaign against homeless- ness, found rents in areas of Sydney thought to be more affordable, like Parramat- ta, Canterbury Bankstown, South-Western Sydney and Liverpool, would still cost the average worker at least a third of their weekly wage. An affordable rental prop- erty is defined as one that costs less than 30 per cent of income. Rents in the CBD, Lower North Shore, Northern Beaches and Eastern Suburbs would chew through more than two-thirds of the average wage each week. As Sydneysiders escape to the regions, rents there are rising too: the South Coast and Central Tablelands ex- perienced 13.4 and 12.8 per cent rental increases over the last three years, compared to a 2.4 per cent rise in the Eastern Suburbs. “While eye-watering rents are worst in our major cities, essential workers are increas- ingly priced out of coastal and bush communities too,” said Kate Colvin, national spokes- person for Everybody’s Home. “People with big city in- comes are moving to the re- gions and totally warping the rental markets. It’s aston- ishing that a care or service worker simply could not af- ford a modest apartment in the overwhelming majority of our suburbs and regions.” Vacancy rates across the country remain extremely tight, at around one per cent. Anglicare’s 2022 Rental Af- fordability Snapshot analysed 46,000 vacant properties earli- er in the year. A single parent on Jobseek- er with a child over 8 could only affordably rent nine properties nationwide. A couple with two children on a singleminimumwage in- come and the parenting pay- ment could affordably rent 1682 homes, or 3.7 per cent. With inflation and interst rates rising and real wages fall- ing, social services organisa- tions are sounding the alarm about the housing crisis al- ready hitting Australian cities. Residential property prices rose by 22 per cent in 2021, the highest annual increase in 35 years, according to the Australian Council for Social Services’ Wealth Paradox re- port released late last month. WE CAN SOLVE HOME- LESSNESS P2 Money for nothing Wage increasesvanishas rentsand interest rate rises rip thegutsout of Australian familybudgets ¾ Adam Wesselinoff SUNDAY 7 August, 2022 CatholicWeekly The www.catholicweekly.com.au THE CHURCH. ALL OF IT VOCATIONS MAGAZINE & UNI OPEN DAYS POPE FRANCIS IN CANADA P7 LIFTOUTS INSIDE ONE OF Australia’s leading news pho- tographers, Brendan Esposito says that when his job needs him to bring some difficult things to light, his family and his faith keep him grounded. “Because I have that awareness of something higher, I’ve been able to navi- gate life and I am grateful to be a witness to all the things that I’ve seen,” he said. He’s good at navigating conflict, and he is adamant that all deserve respect, no matter how they live. In March the ABC photographer was present as Ukrainian men and women came out of their homes and knelt in prayer as the funeral procession of the first fallen sol- dier from their village passed by. “Such respect, such spirituality and religious zeal was very moving and so beautiful to see,” he said. REPORT P14 ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Photographer‘s faith finds its focus $2 Vacancy rates across the country remain extremely tight, at around one per cent.” You can build a better world for future generations 1800 024 413 | www.caritas.org.au/donate/give-monthly/ OPEN DAYs Universities & Colleges Your Future, Your Choice 2 022 ADV ERTISING SUPPLEMENT Every member of the Church is called to holiness. This means we are called to love: to love God and to love each other. The particular way that you live out that call to holiness is your vocation. - Pope Francis CatholicWeekl y The