People resort to stealing food as cost of living hurts more families

A new survey of women and non-binary people has found 89 per cent of respondents have been forced to take measures to keep up with the rising cost of living.

Measures included not using the heater or selling items. Only 40 per cent of those surveyed two years ago had been forced to take such measures.

The findings were gathered in a survey by YWCA Canberra, which has released a report called Our Lives: Women in the ACT 2023.

Nearly one-in-three of those surveyed said they did not have enough money saved to cover one housing payment if they lost their job and 64 per cent of respondents said their housing costs had increased in the past year.

The survey found an increase in employed people seeking help from homelessness services, with 65 per cent of people in paid employment, up from 49 per cent in 2021.

Respondents were also able to provide anonymous comments as part of the survey. One person said the cost of living was so high they had been forced to steal food. Another said they had resorted to selling personal items.

"I have organised direct debits for schools and sport activities so that I could afford groceries and rent. I have sold personal items to be able to afford extras. Family have supported me to buy groceries," one person said.

YWCA Canberra said 1049 responses were received in the survey. It was an online survey distributed through social media and through targeted outreach.

The survey, which was also held in 2019 and 2021, was also opened in languages other than English and to people living in the surrounding Canberra region for the first time.

"Regional areas often absorb those who can no longer afford housing or other services in a metropolitan area," the report said.

YWCA Canberra chief executive Frances Crimmins said this showed what people on lower incomes faced day-to-day.

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"The 2023 findings reinforce how for those on low and fixed incomes or working in low-wage sectors, every day can be a series of impossible choices," Ms Crimmins said.

"For this cohort, Canberra has always been a difficult city to 'get by' in. But what we see in the 2023 survey is how this stress is affecting a larger cohort.

"People told us they were having to resort to stealing food, others are asking family for small loans. These are often people who have an income, they just can't stay afloat."