‘My circumstances are typical’:  Why stable housing matters

Moving constantly took a toll on Ann Lawless’s health. Rapidly rising rental costs during the pandemic forced the retired academic out of her Western Australian home, triggering two years of temporary stays and instability.

The 68-year-old, whose academic field was health sociology, lived in boarding houses, tents in caravan parks, house-sat and slept on couches.

“There is a constant need to look into the future, and you can’t see one,” Dr Lawless says of those years.

A house-sitting opportunity took Dr Lawless and her beloved pet cockatiel of 20 years, Bernie, to Launceston. But the constant travel depleted her finances as well as her health. Concerned about her well-being, Dr Lawless’s doctor urged her to find a more stable and permanent place to live.

Moving back to Canberra’s she found property in Dickson, but 95 per cent of her income went towards the rent, leaving little for other essentials.

Vital medications and furniture were unaffordable. “Food is a challenge,” she says of that time. “Hunger is real for people in these circumstances.”

Sharing her story was important to highlight the need for safe, secure and stable housing.  “My circumstances are fairly typical of older women.”

Before the pandemic, Dr Lawless says she never missed paying rent and had a perfect inspection record. Then, private rental costs surged, and few homes were available.”

Being evicted from her Western Australian rental home was a period of “deep personal shock and distress”.

In March, Dr Lawless and Bernie moved into a two-bedroom home in Canberra’s Taylor, operated by CHC.

After three years of instability and stress, the experience of a stable and affordable home was overwhelming, says Dr Lawless.

“Without it, I would now be looking to move to a caravan park because I could not afford to stay where I was.”