Aimee
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
‘We are … living in a constant state of the threat of homelessness. No-one is helping, no-one is stopping this ridiculous money grab, no-one cares about us on benefits.’
Aimee shares a house with her mother and two children under 10. Her mother has heart disease and arthritis. Her children both live with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety. The eldest also has autism and a sensory processing disorder.
Aimee receives a carer payment and her mother receives an Age Pension. They pay $800 a week in rent.
‘The house we are in is old, bad electricity, big cracks etc, but we have no choice,’ Aimee told the Royal Commission.
Her family has been renting the house for three years. When the rent increased a year ago, Aimee began looking for somewhere cheaper.
‘We never got a rental, applied for over 100 properties. Two pensions … two children and two cats saw us in the bottom of every pile, even though we have a perfect rental history.’
Aimee feels she is being squeezed out of the local rental market and ‘pushed further and further away from our support networks and school.’
‘I have two special needs children, take care of my mother as her full-time carer, and we are being constantly overlooked. Our savings are nearly gone. Once they go, we can't afford to renew our lease. I have never been so close to giving up so often, thanks to all of this.’
Unable to find a cheaper place to rent, Aimee’s landlord recently advised her to move her mother upstairs and sublet the self-contained downstairs part of the house.
‘Once we agreed to that, as we were facing homelessness again, the rent has now increased to $800 a week,’ she said. ‘We stay at this insane rental amount, rent out half our home to a stranger, or end up on the streets.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.