Housing and mental health.

calmseeker · ‎28-01-2020

Hi All,

I have been thinking lately about the link between good mental health and housing. Yet again, I have a pending move, which I know is a trigger for my anxiety. I tend to get quite ill after a move, there have been too many moves for me recently. mostly because am in the private housing market and my owners always either move back into their property or sell the property. I yearn for a stable, long term home (I could never afford to buy). I am such a 'homely' person. I feel that if I could remain somewhere for a reasonable amount of time I could really relax and focus on my mental health, I feel like I never can, I am always moving or catching up financially from a move or trying to settle in somewhere new. The cost is phenomenal to rent now, it really blows my mind. What a person needs to come up with for a rental property is quite a lot, not just the rent itself but the moving costs, cleaning of previous property, etc.

I am aware of NRAS but those properties rarely come up. Housing Dep have told me 10-15 plus year wait. Private market ridiculously expensive.

I am very thankful to even have a roof over my head, don't get me wrong (not that I can afford that roof though). I realise there are lots of people who don't even have a home so I am really not ungrateful, just sick of the stress that comes with searching for affordable, decent housing where I can hopefully lay my hat for a few years. A home should be a place where a person can feel safe and relaxed and heal and survive - not feel like a hotel. My ranting was not meant to actually be a big whinge about my situation (sorry if its turned out that way!) more so just a comment on the link between good mental health and stable housing really.

calmseeker · ‎18-02-2020

Wow Hanna, your friends rental situation is like a tenants dream - NYE must be magic at her place!

I beat you by a year with regards to longevity in a property, longest I have done is 4 years.

I actually watched a doco last night about the homeless on Skid Row, LA and of course it helped me to feel grateful to be housed at all. The gratitude didn't last long when I paid the rent and stared at the pittance left in my purse and reality kicked in that I will be moving soon.

Any news from housing on your situation? If so I hope its good.

Hanna3 · ‎18-02-2020

Hi calmseeker,

Are you having to move again? Not by choice I take it? How long have you been where you are?

I haven't yet spoken to Housing, still looking at options...

If I can't reply for some time, it's because we have a severe electrical storm coming in, my television has lost signal and I'm about to turn the computer off for safety! I'll check back tomorrow...

calmseeker · ‎18-02-2020

Yes Hanna another move pending. Been at current place 9 months. House is being sold and lease over in 12 weeks. At last place owner moved back from Melbourne into the property after 12 month lease and place before that I got 18 months before owner wanted to do major renovations - its been pretty much the same for years before that also but I will not bore you with the details. I do ask before I apply for a property about the owners plans, I am always told its purely an investment property but that's not the way it turns out to be. They are not obliged under law to disclose anything anyway.

Hope the storm isn't too nasty. Hope you are doing ok x

Guest_1643 · ‎19-02-2020

Hi Hanna, I know exactly what you mean. My friend actually rents out properties for her grandmother. The grandmother is so so sweet and hasn't raised the rent for a decade, keeping the same trio of tenants who are paying less than everyone in Australia. I guess some people like to do this as a kindness for people - rent out an affordable space to a good person. Your friend is lucky!! I think these cases are far and few between....

Hanna3 · ‎19-02-2020

Hi calmseeker, Hi Sleepy,

Gee calmseeker you have had a really bad time. How are you expected to find the costs of moving so often? I think that's appalling I am sorry. Have you managed to find another rental nearby? Not to mention all the packing/unpacking and cleaning etc etc etc. Gosh I hope you have a decent number of years in the next place, poor you!

Sleepy that sounds like my friend's landlady - apparently she's elderly and enormously wealthy and sees no need or reason to increase the rents. What a gem! It's nice to see some people aren't totally motivated by greed.

If I won a fortune on the lottery I'd love to buy a heap of decent little places to rent out to poor people like pensioners/single mums, it would be great. Not likely to happen sadly...People live in a bubble - a friend told me she knew of a friend of hers who had a granny flat built out the back to bring in an income, and wanted the tenant to be an aged pensioner - but set the rent at $500/week. She didn't understand that a pensioner cannot afford that with the lousy amount of rent assistance they get.

It's all just not good enough and alas I cannot see our government doing anything as they don't care about the people at the bottom...

Let me know how you go calmseeker….

Are you in a secure place Sleepy? best wishes...

calmseeker · ‎19-02-2020

Hi Hanna and Sleepy and all other peeps reading,

I cant really search yet for another place yet as I have to make sure I get one that is available pretty much the exact fortnight that my lease runs out, otherwise I have to double up the rent for all the weeks up until the lease end date, that could mean nearly 1k per week. Yes moving costs will be ridiculous as usual, it ends up heading towards 4k per move with everything included, some gets reimbursed after bond from old property gets refunded but they take their time with that. It feels a bit like groundhog day in a hotel now - I hadn't even fully unpacked this time and its probably a good thing I didn't now that it just needs packing up again.

Sleepy- that made me happy to hear about your friends grandmother, restores my faith in people.

CS x

Hanna3 · ‎19-02-2020

I just hope the next place gives you years there calmseeker - you've really had a bad run. Moving costs in this country are ridiculous. Really hoping the next place will be better for you. It's all the stress and exhaustion and worry too... really takes a toll. I've jettisoned possessions over and over due to having to move so often - I was looking through a beautiful book on home decorating recently at the library and thinking yes but only people who own their own homes could have all this clutter and stuff - renters would have to pack and unpack it all the time so renters tend to downsize their stuff over and over... I really do feel for you.

calmseeker · ‎20-02-2020

Thank you for your kind response Hanna.

Youre totally right about having 'stuff' as a renter, its easier not to own too much. I have always been a bit of a minimalist anyway but even moreso now.

My psychologist requested I write down dates when bad panic episodes have occurred. We were trying to work out what triggers them and I thought they were basically out of the blue, but I realised it was directly after another house move I would become quite debilitated with the symptoms. I am dreading this probably more than the financial impact to be honest. I will just be really mindful of this around moving time and try and look after my diet and sleep etc at that time.

We should just say blow these housing problems that we have and move into the BB café! I have heard its rent free - you with me? (Pets allowed) xo

Hanna3 · ‎20-02-2020

As long as the Café has a sea view I'm with you on that one calmseeker!

My panic attacks are triggered by PTSD to do with attacks on me as a child - I have to be careful going from dark to light places. I think just plain too much anxiety can often cause them too - probably after a move you're also exhausted as well as adjusting to a new place and it's all too much.

There was a piece on the news the other night of how much rents in Tasmania have risen, in the last year some over two hundred dollars per week more... and Ross Gittins had a good article in the SMH about how big mortgages and high rents were damaging the economy as people simply don't have spare cash to spend on things in shops/going out etc. Interesting. Good luck, I'm sorry to hear about the panic issues, I can totally relate they're horrible...

Katyonthehamsterwheel · ‎20-02-2020

Hey, well I'm moving in too! Pretty sure there's a pool and aircon as well. Plus there's always good food and I just bet the kitchen isn't overrun with cockroaches unlike my place (can't seem to get rid of them!).