Vanessa Fookes

Vanessa Fookes, 40, has been working since the age of 16 but finds herself unable to afford a home in her local suburb of Shoalhaven Heads, NSW. Despite having a $50,000 deposit and first home buyer assistance, she was informed by her bank that she could borrow only a maximum of $300,000, significantly below the median price of a two-bedroom house in her area, which is $920,000. Fookes criticizes the system for being biased against single buyers, asserting that institutions assume that home ownership is only feasible for couples or families.