Geraldton Foodbank customers struggle with cost of living and rental costs and wish government would help

Talesha and Mitch French are a single-income household unable to find a home priced anywhere near their budget and like many others are grappling with the cost-of-living crunch. The couple with two young kids, who shop for their food at Foodbank, have not been following the Federal election campaign as they did not believe any party would make a real difference to their living situation. After their business collapsed under the weight of COVID pressures and they were unable to pay staff wages, they were asked to leave their rental two weeks before Christmas. Because of such high demand for rentals, they found it difficult to find a new roof over their heads. They were finally accepted, but the Frenches are now paying far more in rent than their budget allows. “We were looking for a house for quite some time. There was one that was above our budget, plus we were so desperate we had to offer $30 more to get it,” Mrs French said. “Last year, we had to move out two weeks before Christmas without any major notice, go with a private rental and pay an extra $100.” The couple recently began shopping at Foodbank when their living costs rapidly escalated. “We found the cost of food increased and it became really hard for us, but Foodbank saved us,” Mrs French said. “It cuts our shop in half, if not more for sure. “We really rely on Foodbank, I don’t know how we would be living as a family if we hadn’t found out about it.” Foodbank is a not-for-profit distributor of donated food offered to those struggling to afford supermarket costs. The price of the food goes by the total weight of the shop, not per product. “We only found out about Foodbank this year, and if we’d known about it when we first started having kids and our lifestyle had to change, we would probably have some savings in the bank right now,” Mrs French said. The family explained they could purchase nappies for $10 at Foodbank instead of $30 in supermarkets, but even while shopping for the discounted food, the family only end up with around $50 leftover at the end of each week. “Just for things that we might need, or to put away for savings,” she said. “Everything else is pay check to pay check.” Mrs French said families like hers wished the government would help society through better housing opportunities and credit history. “If they could make a person’s rental history as their credit history, it would make a world of a difference for people like us where we can’t take on additional debt because we can’t afford it,” she said. Mrs French said a lot of families did not have the opportunity to improve their credit history. “To be able to get approved to buy a house, if they could fix how difficult it is to do that, would make a big difference,” she said. “If they could make getting into your own home more realistic or even making more awareness of what options were available such as Foodbank.”