“I was living paycheck to paycheck, paying for my treatments and I couldn’t afford to save up the money to pay rent up front. It’s not just rent up front, you’ve got to get bond, you have to pay for a removal man, you’ve got to pay for boxes…all these extra costs. I also had to get cleaners in and because I’m so unwell I couldn’t do it all myself.
“It was just horrendous. I was in a panic. My mental health was shot and it wasn’t good anyway. You just feel like a failure and I hate asking for help.”
In 2021 Anne, moved into a one-bedroom apartment in the city at $290 a week. Seeking treatment for cancer at the time, Anne was unable to work and needed this affordable, well positioned apartment to access care at the hospital.
But just a year later, Anne’s real estate agency advised that her landlord would be increasing her rent to $400 per week, a 38% rise. She simply couldn’t afford the hike but at the same time could not afford to move somewhere else.
