Life on Newstart hasn't been easy for Jane, who had been living in crisis accommodation until Tuesday.
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She receives $545 Newstart Allowance per fortnight, but is only left with about $529 per fortnight after paying child support.
That leaves her on less than $38 a day, which has made it a struggle to afford both food and rent - especially given the ever-increasing cost of rent in Griffith.
"I've looked at rental properties in Griffith and they're astronomical compared to Leeton," Jane said.
She's looked into public housing options, but was told that the waiting line in Griffith was anywhere from five to seven years long.
However, she was successful in getting public housing in Leeton, and so on Tuesday she began moving out of the crisis accommodation centre.
"I'm one of the lucky ones," Jane said.
"To me it's a new start for my life - I've had big personal changes in my life and it's something I've had to deal with and comprehend."
In her previous life she worked full-time, but left her job so that she could spend more time raising her baby.
Afterwards she left her partner and was left with nowhere to go, and was forced to turn to various support services for help.
It's been "very tough" living on Newstart, which is why she had little sympathy for former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce when he said he struggled on a $211,000 annual salary.
"I laughed at that," Jane said.
"Put him on $545 a fortnight and see how he goes."
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Mr Joyce is, however, pushing for an increase in Newstart but has not won over much support from his counterparts in the Liberal party.
Linking Communities Network deputy CEO Kirrilly Salvestro said many of her clients were homeless Newstart recipients who couldn't afford to put a proper roof over their heads on $545 a fortnight.
It's been labeled Griffith's "housing crisis", with the supply of housing not meeting up with the growing demand.
The most recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the local electorate of Murray saw a 38 per cent increase in homeless over five years.
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