Almost half of financially disadvantaged households on the Central Coast were unable to pay their utility bills on time in the past 12 months, according to new research.
NSW Council of Social Service’s (NCOSS) latest Cost of Living in NSW 2023 research undertaken by the University of Technology Sydney, also revealed 65 per cent of those paying more than 30 per cent of their income on housing reported being in housing stress.
The survey was undertaken in April and May and involved a representative sample of 1,134 households living on low incomes and below the poverty line in regions across NSW.
NCOSS CEO Joanna Quilty said the survey revealed just how tough life was for low income and below the poverty line households on the Central Coast presently.
“These figures are stark and show the extent to which households are being hammered on multiple fronts,”
Joanne Qulity
“These are households who, in the main, are working and who are doing everything they can to cut costs and keep their heads above water.
“But the compounding effects of COVID-19, sky-high inflation, successive disasters and flatlining wages have had a devastating impact, pushing many to breaking point.”
Key findings for Central Coast included 72 per cent reported having no money set aside for emergencies, 38 per cent reported using Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services for essential goods three or more times in the last year, 31 per cent reported going without prescribed medication or healthcare, 27 per cent reported that they experience extreme housing stress, with more than 50 per cent of their income spent on housing in the last year and 26 per cent reported being unable to travel for essential reasons due to cost.
“We knew things were bad, but this is the worst we’ve seen in many years,” Quilty said.
“And the impacts are showing through the increased stress and strain that relationships are under and families are experiencing.
“People are hanging on by a knife edge, savings have been eaten away and the use of Buy Now Pay Later is more prevalent and borrowing from family and friends is a growing necessity.
“Our members – community organisations on the frontline – consistently report that they cannot keep up with demand and that the needs of their communities are becoming more complex.
“New cohorts of people are appearing at their doors – families with two incomes who used to get by but have now drained their savings and cannot put food on the table.”
Quilty said NCOSS has put forward a set of recommendations to the NSW Government developed in consultation with NCOSS members.
“Our recommendations are aimed at tackling the underlying causes of the cost-of-living crisis – most notably energy bills and housing affordability – and providing immediate relief,” she said.
“The NSW Government cannot quickly solve this crisis but it can alleviate its most extreme impacts and help those who are doing everything they can to survive but have nothing left to give.”
Some of the key recommendations put forward include improving the impact of NSW Government cost-of-living initiatives including permanently increasing EAPA vouchers to $2,000pa and making the Low Income Household Rebate a fixed percentage of a person’s energy bill.
NCOSS also recommends building an additional 5,000 social housing residences each year, targeting unmet needs such as overcrowding for culturally diverse communities and groups at greatest risk of homelessness.
They are urging limits on rental increases so they are fair and reasonable, addressing no-grounds evictions and eliminating rental bidding.
NCOSS wants the Government to strengthen the social service sector by developing a consistent approach to annual indexation covering the real cost of service provision and enhancing capacity of essential programs facing overwhelming demand.
For more information, and to read the full report, visit ncoss.org.au
Source:
NCOSS
I would have to say its not only the Central Coast that are suffering its basically everywhere not only on the Central Coast.