Moving house seven times in 18 months the reality for many renters

In Western Australia, a growing number of essential workers are facing significant challenges in finding affordable housing, according to new research. Frances Thiele, a 61-year-old disability support worker, has moved seven times in the past 18 months, struggling to find an affordable rental in Albany, a regional city approximately 450 kilometers south of Perth.

With rent inflation at record levels, Anglicare's rental affordability snapshot revealed that only one property in Western Australia's two most populous regions, the Great Southern and South West, was within budget for key workers in health and childcare sectors.

Thiele, who works full-time, earns too little to afford housing on her own, leading her to share a home with a housemate and pay $850 a week in rent. Despite the shared arrangement, she remains hopeful, emphasizing the importance of her work in helping the community. Similarly, employers in Karratha, a city 1,530 kilometers north of Perth, are grappling with accommodation shortages, forcing them to compete with mining and energy giants for staff housing.

Clark Smith, who runs a small mechanical workshop, has had to resort to various solutions, including housing workers in caravans and shared living arrangements, but acknowledges the physical impossibility of competing with larger companies that can offer better compensation packages.

Many Karratha businesses offer housing and vehicles as part of employment packages, but these incentives often come with limitations, such as allowing only one employee per business to reside in subsidized housing, which becomes untenable if an employee receives a pay increase. The precarious housing situation faced by essential workers underscores the need for more affordable housing options and employer support to ensure their well-being and the stability of businesses that rely on their workforce.