The housing affordability trends for the City of
Whittlesea combined with the low proportion of
public rental stock in the area indicates the
increasing importance that private rental support
programs will assume for low income households
into the future. Staff and external providers
consulted both reinforced the significant current
service assistance gaps for individuals and
households living in the Whittlesea and northern
suburban surrounding areas. Existing case loads of
government funded private rental support
programs were reported to be limited in scope.
Those who are able to be provided with housing
assistance funds were considered to be ‘just the
tip’ of the need and many more with high needs
have to be turned away.
and had attempted to seek support from a
number of services in the area. The reasons
clients interviewed sought assistance was
reported to relate to the inadequacy of their
existing dwelling either in quality or affordability,
relationship breakdowns and needing to flee
from family violence, being a new arrival in
Australia with limited support networks and
understanding of the private rental market, and
to cater for a growing family. For some clients, it
was the first time they had experienced
difficulties in being able to access private rental
properties whilst for others their experience of
housing insecurity and homelessness has been
more enduring. Regardless of the reasons for
seeking support and their past rental histories,
all found it difficult to move to a new property
on a limited income without any savings to pay
for the rent in advance, particularly when still
paying for an existing rental property and when
they had no other sources of financial or family
support.
We cannot meet the full demand for
services. Moreover, it is much easier to
house families and or couples than single
people. There really are no private rental
properties that a single person can access at
an affordable rate – there is nowhere to
house this group [External stakeholder].
The quality and size of the housing stock in the
Whittlesea area was also considered highly
problematic from an affordability perspective,
particularly for single person households given the
limited number of one bedroom properties
available. Most of the properties are 2 to 3
bedrooms making them more expensive to rent
for a single person who is not able to share. Many
of the houses that low income households can
afford and are offered will be in poor condition,
with some requiring significant maintenance.
Just raising enough money to move when
you are on a low income is the most
difficult thing [Client interview].
I was sharing with other people before
coming to the service. I have always been
able to get into a rental property before
this [Client interview].
The difficulties for me began in 2010 – I
had to move out of the previous property.
Once you fall out it is hard to get back in
again [Client interview].
The critical issue is with the maintenance
of the properties. The houses require quite
a lot of maintenance and are often in poor
quality – drafts coming in which cost a lot
to heat running up high utility bills [Staff
focus group].
I have had a long-term struggle with
housing – I’ve been homeless and in that
space for a number of years [Client
interview].
The reported experiences of clients seeking help
from housing agencies in the area confirmed this
perspective. All clients discussed the difficulties
they faced in accessing the private rental market
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