No-fault evictions in NSW pushing ‘more people into homelessness’ but little movement on law change

When businesswoman Eman Soliman was texted her eviction notice, she assumed it was a mistake. “There wasn’t even a phone call to explain why it had happened,” she said.

Data from the government’s End of Tenancy Survey published in 2022, indicates one renter is issued a no-grounds eviction every 18 minutes — leaving more than 28,000 renters looking for new homes every year. Results from the most recent survey are expected to be released later this year.

Under current law, landlords in NSW are able to terminate rolling leases at any time without reason. The only requirement is that they give the tenant 90 days’ notice.

Both Labor and the Coalition went into the 2023 state election promising to ban this type of eviction. Fifteen months later, the government has yet to put forward new legislation.

Yvonne doesn’t own her home. This housing alternative means she never worries about rent

Yvonne Jenkins pays 25 per cent of her income as rent for her two bedroom home, provided as part of a co-op arrangement.

Co-ops, made up of members, own the right to a collection of homes, which often, are co-located.
Without a landlord making a profit, rents only need to cover the cost of maintaining the housing.
Co-op housing rent is more affordable than open market rent and can be set at a percentage of income.

Co-ops, made up of members, own the right to a collection of homes which are often co-located.

A co-op is a business model, but according to Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals senior policy adviser Linda Seaborn, they operate differently to most of Australia’s real estate market.

After crisis accommodation: Are ‘foyers’ the key to fixing youth homelessness?

Riley sits outside a youth foyer in Glen Waverley. Photographer: Arianna Lucente

Riley is visiting a communal living facility that houses 40 residents – all aged between 16 and 24 – specifically designed to help people who are at risk of, or who are experiencing, homelessness.

Advocates say it’s the kind of accommodation Australia sorely needs, with rental vacancy rates falling below one per cent in some big cities, and with more than 40,000 younger Australians needing to access homelessness services each year.

How does a ‘youth foyer’ work?

People who live in a ‘youth foyer’ can stay for up to two years, and the Foyer Foundation says demand is far outstripping supply.

At a youth foyer, each resident gets their own unit with a kitchenette and bathroom, and there are communal areas including a full-sized kitchen, living and entertainment zone, a shared laundry, an art room, and an outdoor area with a barbecue and greenery.

There are a number of other support services available to help young people get back on their feet, ranging from life skills development, mental and physical health services, and drug and alcohol support to mentoring and employment assistance.

Phoebe says mental health referrals is also a key service that residents access.

“It’s all well and good to put somebody in a house, but if they don’t have the skills to maintain that … if they’re not mentally in a space where they’re able to take that on, it’s not going to last very long. And I’ve seen that working in crisis accommodation.”

The ‘crushing’ effect of the rental crisis on our mental health and sense of self

A woman with turquoise hair stands outside her front door.

Madi felt like she was either begging for a house, or having to “sell” herself to real estate agents “like a product or like a service. It sort of just made me feel less human.”

Worse, she started feeling like it was all her fault. “It’s just really crushing.”

Her story is increasingly familiar.

And the psychological toll of the rental crisis can not only bring you down, but research suggests it can affect your very sense of self, and even warp your view of the future.

The housing crisis hit Queensland hard. Jolted into action, the state has raised its game.

A construction site for new development. Darren England/AAP

Post-COVID housing stress has been especially intense in Queensland. Brisbane property prices have climbed by 65% since the pandemic began. That’s almost double the Australian capital city average (34%).

According to new data released by CoreLogic this week, Brisbane now has the second-most expensive housing in the country, behind Sydney. Prices rose by 1.4% in May, with the median property price hitting $843,231.

Across the state, new tenancy rents are up by 45% in just four years. Adjusted for inflation, that’s a 23% increase in real terms, much more than the growth in incomes over that time. Without doubt, rising accommodation costs are inflicting financial pain on many in the Sunshine State.

These conditions push some people into homelessness. With “tent cities” appearing across Brisbane, the crisis looks to be deepening.

Yet, as we report today, this situation has triggered a flurry of constructive housing policymaking. Queensland has begun to reverse a long-term decline in its social housing stock. The state has also boosted homelessness funding and services.

Thousands of homeless people removed from Paris region in pre-Olympics ‘social cleansing’

Gendarmes oversee the evacuation of people from France's biggest squat, in a disused factory in the southern Paris suburb of Vitry-sur-Seine, on 17 April. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

Thousands of homeless people have been removed from Paris and the surrounding area as part of a “clean-up” operation ahead of the Olympic Games, campaigners say.

Those moved on include asylum seekers, as well as families and children already in a precarious and vulnerable situation, the collective Le Revers de la Médaille, which represents 90 associations, said in a report released on Monday.

Migration has been blamed for the housing crisis, but it’s not that simple

Cutting permanent migration and capping student numbers won’t help much – but experts say it could hurt a whole lot.

The government and the opposition have both promised cuts to migration in response, at least partially, to Australia’s housing crisis. But how much does immigration actually contribute to the cost of housing and rent?

Read the full article on The Guardian website.

Media Release: Pinkenba site plans disappointing as homelessness crisis persists

Q Shelter and its members did everything possible to propose and enable the activation of the Pinkenba Quarantine Facility to alleviate housing market pressures.

“It is disappointing that 18 months have passed with no resolution to how the site could play its part to help people,” says Q Shelter Executive Director Fiona Caniglia.

“Even though the site has other strategic purposes we consider it shameful that so much time went by without any way to effectively engage three levels of Government and the community services sector in how the site could play a role, even if temporarily”.

“Time and money has been spent trying to evaluate how Pinkenba could be used and it has taken 18 months to find out that the Federal Government has the site earmarked for another purpose”.

“The work the State Government has led in recent months on possible temporary accommodation uses at Pinkenba has been welcomed. Brisbane City Council has also contributed to how the site could be used. Both tiers of Government had made funding commitments to support how the site could play its part as a temporary facility.”

“In the middle of a crisis, we can’t afford a decision on a site like this to take 18 months. We call on the Federal Government to find ways to more effectively assist, especially when the State and Local Government have offered funding to help activate the site as a temporary housing option”.

“The answers to homelessness require seamless integration between all levels of Government and the community services sector. Community services, peak bodies, and two tiers of Government have spent valuable time and money working out how the site could be used. We can’t afford this level of inefficiency and waste when every dollar needs to count.”

“Despite a concerted effort to explore the site’s potential uses to alleviate current homelessness, the site is owned by the Federal Government and required their approval for this purpose. Even though its use as a strategic training facility for the AFP was in the pipeline, 18 months have passed when perhaps the site could have played its part.”

“We are in a crisis. This requires urgency and effective decision-making. It also requires a more effective relationship between the levels of government to reach milestones earlier. If the site was earmarked for other uses, then communicate that early and let us move on to other solutions.”

ENDS

Media comment

Executive Director, Q Shelter, Fiona Caniglia: 0400 196 492

Manager of Policy and Strategic Engagement, Jackson Hills: 0411 395 842

Q Shelter Communications Team: 07 3831 5900 comms@qshelter.asn.au

Soaring government spending on housing yet to ease rental crisis

A new report by Anglicare Australia shows rental affordability for people on low incomes is the worst it’s ever been, despite increased government spending on housing. Advocates across the housing sector say governments need to take a hands-on approach and start funding long-term solutions – as well as looking for the “quick wins”.

Watch the video or read the transcript on the SBS site.

‘Worst ever’: Low-income earners hit by soaring rents

The Australian dream of owning your own home is being “crushed” by rising rents and over-inflated house prices, a new report finds. After reviewing more than 45,000 rental listings, Anglicare Australia’s rental affordability report has declared the market the worst it has ever been.

“This is not hyperbole,” the report released on Tuesday said. “This is Australia’s new normal.”

The annual report uses thousands of rental property listings on realestate.com.au on a weekend in March or April to compile a snapshot of the rental market across the country.

The report says the national vacancy rate has hit an all-time low of 0.7 per cent while average rents are $200 per week more than pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.