Aged care, mental health and disability workers are being priced out of country towns amid soaring housing costs, further entrenching cycles of vulnerability and disadvantage in regional Australia.
Workforce shortages across the community sector were the single greatest factor influencing inequitable access to support services, according to research by Anglicare Australia released on Thursday.
Recruiting staff to rural and remote areas, which experience higher levels of social disadvantage than the cities, has been hampered by both the high cost of housing and low availability.
"In many regional towns, limited housing stock drives up rents, pricing out essential workers," said the In Every Community report.
"In mining regions, for example, community workers compete with highly paid mining staff for scarce accommodation, making relocation unviable."
The shortage of essential staff has created long waiting lists in many regions, while some community services have been forced to shut down, according to the report based on a sector survey and interviews.
Vulnerable people were then forced to travel hundreds of kilometres for support, take limited forms of public transport or go without.
"This disparity between metropolitan and regional service access entrenches inequality," the report said.
"People in rural and remote communities face higher levels of disadvantage but have less access to the very supports designed to address it.
"Workforce shortages therefore perpetuate cycles of vulnerability and exclusion."
Outreach service providers in regional areas were also spending thousands of dollars each month on the rising costs of fuel, electricity and compliance activities.
The price of petrol and long distances were also hindering access to support.
"Young people are particularly affected, as they often rely on parents or carers who may not be available due to other commitments," the report said.
"The result is a cycle in which those most in need of support are also those least able to reach it."
While community organisations were developing proactive strategies, such as rural workforce incentives, fuel vouchers and transport allowances, public funding often did not reflect the true cost of delivery.
The report called for several reforms, including a dedicated national rural workforce strategy, subsidised housing for key workers and long-term funding models to give employees stability.
"These are vital services - disability support, mental health care, aged care, and family services," Anglicare executive director Kasy Chambers said.
"But instead of being funded to meet local need, they're too often treated as one-size-fits-all."
