Housing
40.3% of respondents spent between 50-75% of their total
weekly family income on housing costs, with a further 22%
of respondents contributing more than 75% of their weekly
family income towards housing. Respondents living in
private rental were more likely to be spending more than
75% of their income on housing.
A recent study by Anglicare explored the availability of
appropriate housing for any household type in various
municipalities. Appropriate housing was defined as not
taking up more than 30% of family income, and as having an
appropriate number of bedrooms for children according to
age and gender. The study found that of all available private
rental accommodation in Whittlesea, there was only one
appropriate house available for any household type14.
The most common housing type for 2014 was private rental
(60.2%), a significant increase from 2010 with a decrease in
the number of people living in public or community housing.
Current public housing wait lists continue to grow without
an increase in public housing vacancies to accommodate
demand. This forces people on low incomes into unsuitable
or unsafe accommodation options such as rooming houses,
caravan parks, over crowded housing and for some, into
homelessness. Furthermore, community housing wait lists
in Whittlesea are currently closed, with no current prospects
for increased community housing stock in the municipality.
The vast majority of affordable and appropriate rentals in
the municipality are located in the growth areas which are
typically associated with poorer access to services, public
transport, infrastructure, employment, educational training
and institutions, and higher levels of socioeconomic
disadvantage.
Over half of the 2014 survey respondents (54.3%) indicated
they were always able to pay their accommodation
expenses on time. However, 42% said that after paying
these expenses they were frequently unable to meet their
household’s other basic needs and a further 50.6% said
they were sometimes unable to meet these basic needs.
Respondents living in private
rental were more likely to be
spending more than 75% of
their income on housing
80
70
60
50
Public
40
Private
30
20
10
0
2006
2010
2014
Percentage of respondents living in
public/private rental
“This place is wonderful…. I would
not be eating dinner tonight if I
didn’t get help at WCC”
On average, 1 in 5 survey participants had moved nearly
once every year. 53.1% indicated that at least one of these
moves had been as a result of being unable to meet their
housing costs, highlighting the impact that financial
vulnerability has on housing security and stability for
families including, increased vulnerability to homelessness
and the uprooting of children from schools and
neighbourhoods.
14
Anglicare Victoria (2015); Rental Affordability Snapshot,
http://www.anglicare.asn.au/site/rental_affordability_snapshot.php
15