Arabic version: الأسر ذات الدخل الواحد تواجه ضغوطًا سكنية متزايدة

According to ABC News, single-income households can struggle to meet housing costs as they cannot split rent, bills and other expenses in the way couples can. Australian Bureau of Statistics data suggests a person living alone spends more than $770 extra a month on living costs compared with a person in a couple.

Louise Taylor, 71, said repeated setbacks in the private rental market five years ago left her accepting a small duplex north of Brisbane because it was all she could afford. She is on the housing waitlist and has contacted other housing organisations for help. Living on the pension, she fears another rent increase could force her to move in with her adult daughter or into a share house.

Financial adviser Michael Khouri said single people also carry the time and effort of managing finances alone. He said people emerging from separation could struggle to fund separate homes, whether renting or buying, as housing costs rise. More than half of Australians living alone are women, and about half of those women are aged 65 or older. Women and girls account for 60 per cent of people seeking homelessness-service assistance, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Housing Older Women’s Network representative Maggie Shambrook said some older women experiencing insecurity were living invisibly, including couch-surfing or living in vans while seeking affordable, suitable homes. She cited lower-paid work, unpaid caring responsibilities and difficulties building assets as contributing factors. AHURI’s Tom Alves said affordable, smaller homes in well-located suburbs remained difficult to build, while a range of housing types was needed for single people at different ages. Queensland has a target of delivering 53,500 social and community homes by 2044.