Deidre Hill and her mother, Valerie Smith, moved into their Bondi unit in Sydney 40 years ago, initially paying just $80 per week in rent. Over the years, they witnessed significant changes in the suburb, with older homes replaced by new townhouses and luxury apartments. By the time they received an eviction notice in November last year, their rent had skyrocketed to $900 per week for the same modest apartment.
Deidre, now 65, works part-time as a food merchandiser, while her 83-year-old mother relies on a disability support pension. To manage the rising rent, they had a boarder living in their spare room. However, the eviction notice arrived unexpectedly, prompting the tenants of the building to appeal their case. They were granted an extension until June 8 to vacate the premises.
In response to the eviction notice, Deidre and Valerie applied for urgent social housing but were deemed ineligible due to their income being just over the $1,100 weekly threshold. Subsequently, they faced difficulties finding affordable private rentals and found themselves homeless. They have been relying on the kindness of friends, leading to their separation, with Deidre staying on one friend’s couch and Valerie with another.
This separation has greatly impacted both mother and daughter, especially Valerie, who struggled under the stress of their situation, resulting in a hospitalisation due to health issues linked to anxiety. Deidre described the process of storing their belongings as overwhelming for her mother, who briefly lost her voice from the stress.
Despite regaining her voice, Valerie remains deeply affected. The pair is actively searching for another rental nearby, hoping to remain close to her established support network, yet find the rental prices exceed $1,200 per week, which is unaffordable for them.
To cope, they have received support from the Wayside Chapel, including food vouchers and assistance with storage costs. Case worker Sean Haughian highlighted their situation as a new face of homelessness, illustrating how previously stable tenants can suddenly find themselves without housing due to unexpected circumstances within the competitive rental market. He noted that the case is particularly tragic, as the current system offers little recourse for those like Deidre and Valerie.
Efforts are ongoing to secure emergency accommodation, but concerns remain that they may not be placed together, which would not meet their needs. The Wayside Chapel has initiated a winter campaign for donations to support families facing similar hardships.