When life doesn’t add up
For Priya, life on the single parent payment is a constant struggle (Credit: Photo: Lauren Martin).
For single mother Priya, sometimes life just doesn’t add up.
She spent nearly 10 years on the waiting list for Housing NSW, paying three quarters of her Centrelink income on rent. “It was getting so stressful for me,” she says. “You either paid rent or you ate.
“I got $1,000 a fortnight and I paid $750 a fortnight on rent, and $100 was taken out for electricity.”
That left just $150 for all other expenses, including food, transport, bills and school supplies.
“I was lucky if I could afford a $2.50 ticket to travel for the whole day,” she says. Even simple things are stressful: “Even for baby wipes, I have to be really careful about how much I use.
“We don’t get take-away food much. We don’t buy much meat and stuff... It’s hard. We just survive on what we can.”
Priya first approached The Salvation Army for help a few years ago when she was behind with her bill payments. She met Meliame Beard, who works for The Salvation Army’s Emergency Relief Vulnerable Groups Program.
The program provides free emergency relief for families and individuals at risk of homelessness by assessing their situation, exploring their options and, when necessary, offering financial assistance.
The Salvation Army was able to help with food vouchers and assistance with bill payments. Meliame worked with Priya to have her placed on the priority housing list with Housing NSW.
“It’s amazing,” says Priya of the assistance she’s received, describing Meliame as a huge support to her emotionally as well. Without any family support, Meliame has become a key influence on Priya and her two children, aged 10 and four.
“Meliame drops around to our home to see how we are going – she’s wonderful,” says Priya, who suffers from social isolation due to poverty and clinical depression.
Recently, Priya received the news she’d been waiting for – an offer of a Housing NSW unit. “I couldn’t believe it!” she says. Her rent has now reduced and she can afford to spend more on food for herself and the kids. “I can even afford the internet now, which is really good for my daughter’s schooling,” she says.
But, like others struggling to survive on government benefits, Priya is under constant financial strain. “My daughter’s schooling gets affected because I can’t hire her tutors for Naplan [tests] and stuff. The teachers are always saying she needs a bit more help. I’m trying my hardest here at home but I don’t know that much myself!
“The other day the kids were asking for shoes. But if they’re a little bit ripped I just say, ‘I’ll fix them up, you can still wear them. I’ll sew your clothes just wait a little while.’
“It’s a bit hard to talk about it, because it just hits you that you have to say ‘no’ to them all the time.”
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