Aussies skipping dental, medical care to afford rent
Overwhelmed by rising energy and housing costs, many Australians are skipping meals, medical care and heating to keep a roof over their heads.
A survey by campaign group Everyone’s Home found that many people are sacrificing driving, eating and medical appointments to meet rent or mortgage payments.
Meg, from Newcastle in NSW, said she and her partner often subsist on toast and two-minute noodles as they can’t afford fresh produce after paying their rent.
He also skips medical and dental appointments.
“The dentist is so important to us, our teeth are going to fall out,” Meg told AAP.
“Nutrition and healthcare are not a reality right now.
“I don’t think people understand how tiring it is to really struggle and be constantly apologetic about what bill you can pay.”
The most common sacrifice among 1,100 survey participants was reducing energy use by limiting heating and cooling by half to cope with housing costs.
Forty-two percent of respondents skipped doctor appointments, 38 percent cut back on driving, and 30 percent relied on credit cards or ‘buy now, pay later’ programs to cover housing costs.
One in three people had difficulty or were unable to pay their energy bills last year.
Everybody’s Home spokeswoman Maiy Azize said the housing crisis was changing the way Australians live and leading to “heartbreaking” stories of struggle.
“Sacrifices like these are to be expected in a war or a pandemic; not today in one of the richest countries in the world,” he said.
“One person told us that the heat in their home made it difficult to manage their pain, and another told us they limited showers to once a week and laundry to once a month to afford the rent.”
While 90 per cent of those surveyed reported a lack of external wall insulation, Ms Aziz called for basic rent standards to be introduced as tenants forego comfort and struggle to keep a roof over their heads.
“Without basic rental standards, Australians will continue to be hit by rising energy bills and sickened by homes that overheat, freeze or are plagued by mold and damp,” he said.
Meg, 38, lives in a weatherboard worker’s cottage, which is uninsulated and has holes in the ceiling and floor.
“When you’re in a heat wave, the last thing you want to do in a heat wave is go to the kitchen or when it’s stormy and you want to use the oven and you’ve got water dripping on your forehead,” he said.
“Shameful.”
Federal plans to lower electricity prices should include improving home energy efficiency and enforcing minimum standards, Ms. Azize said.
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