A single person on an Age Pension looking for a rental would find only a single house they could afford in Dubbo, according to data from Anglicare.
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The statistics were revealed in the charity's annual national rental affordability snapshot and show a catastrophic housing outlook for vulnerable people relying on government supports, as the rental crisis worsens.
Anglicare's Coordinator in Dubbo, Therese Garnsey, said that regional areas continued to be affected by significant increases in housing costs that disproportionately affected people on low incomes.
"We are seeing a significant increase in the number of people accessing our emergency food pantry here in Dubbo," Ms Garnsey said.
"Increasing rents mean that household budgets can't stretch far enough to cover groceries. It's extremely concerning. This is why we are so grateful for the support of local churches, school and other organisations, including Aldi, who donate to the pantry."
According to Ms Garnsey, the situation has worsened over the past three-to-four months in Dubbo, and four individuals who weren't accessing Anglicare beforehand had begun using the charity's pantry service.
"We're heating up meals for them because they're sleeping rough. They use their pension for temporary accommodation and when they run out of money they sleep rough, because they can't get into a rental property," Ms Garnsey said.
"There's an obvious increase in the number of people asking for help with food, blankets, bedding and warm things, as the weather has turned here and it's chilly of a night and morning.
"There are a lot more people doing it really tough."
Ms Garnsey said that Anglicare's No Interest Loans Service (NILS), which assists people in Dubbo and across parts of southern NSW, had been experiencing an increase in the number of people needing help.
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"If there is an unexpected household expense, for instance a fridge breaking down, it can simply become too much for people to cope with, leading to emotional as well as financial stress," Ms Garnsey said.
"This is where our NILS team can offer support. We encourage people to access this free service rather than run the risk of facing further financial difficulties through things such as Payday lending schemes."
The Anglicare data showed that for a single parent with one child aged less than five, who was receiving the parenting payment single pension, there were seven properties they could afford out of 68 advertised.
For a single person aged over 21 on a Disability Support Pension, only one property was affordable.
A single person on JobSeeker would not be able to afford any of the advertised rental properties, nor would a single person aged over 18 receiving Youth Allowance.
Anglicare rated rents as affordable if they made up 30 per cent or less of household income.
Ms Garnsey said the data was "scary", and she reiterated Anglicare's call for further assistance for vulnerable families in regional NSW, including an increase in social housing options, an increase in government support payments, and greater protections for tenants.
"I'd love for anybody looking for homes to be able to get a home and sleep comfortably of a nighttime and be protected - it's one of the essentials in life, to be safe," she said.
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