Rent or food? Cruel choice grips WA as cost-of-living crisis spirals

In response to the WACOSS Cost Of Living Report, Foodbank WA and the Financial Wellbeing Collective have released a joint statement with the latest statistics on food stress and financial insecurity. 

"Rent took everything this week," Anna*, a single parent juggling two jobs, told Foodbank WA as she clutched the grocery list. "We'll manage with noodles, but what about my kids?" 

Her story echoes through thousands of WA households, caught in a cruel vice of soaring rent and empty cupboards. 

The WACOSS Cost of Living Report shows that surging rent prices are pushing households, particularly those on fixed incomes and government support, to the brink.  

Kate O’Hara, CEO of Foodbank WA, has relentlessly explained that 388,000 households in our state went hungry this year. Over half of them hold down jobs.

“This isn’t about a lack of hard work or responsibility, it’s about a system that’s simply failing too many people," Ms O'Hara explained.  

Retailers like Coles and Woolworths are reporting record profits, however the average single parent family has just $1.40 left over per week after meeting their estimated basic living costs. 

"Choosing between rent and groceries is a cruel ultimatum forcing people to prioritise survival over wellbeing," Ms O’Hara said.

"In a country with enough food to feed its entire population three times over, this is completely unacceptable.”

The Financial Wellbeing Collective, which provides support and services to those in financial hardship, have seen a surge in demand for its services as cost-of-living pressures mount across the community. 

General Manager of the Financial Wellbeing Collective, Helena Jakupovic, said her team has experienced record numbers of people seeking emergency relief, food support and help to pay utility bills. 

"Our Emergency Relief and Food Access Service received a record 3,761 calls in November - 700 more than November 2022. And for the first two weeks of December, we received a 52 per cent increase in calls on the same time last year,” Ms Jakupovic said. 

“What this tells us is that cost of living pressures are making it harder for people to afford necessities like food and utilities.” 

This comes as no surprise to the Financial Wellbeing Collective, whose financial counselling clients are deemed to be in housing stress with the ratio of housing cost to income sitting at 38 per cent. Anything over 30 per cent is deemed as housing stress according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

Find out how you can support Foodbank WA to give support to hungry Western Australian families in need.