Housing News Digest
Housing News Digest
The Tenants' Union Housing News Digest compiles our pick of items from all the latest tenancy and housing media, sent once per week, on Thursdays.
Below is the Digest archive from November 2020 onwards. From time to time you will find additional items in the archive that did not make it into the weekly Digest email. Earlier archives are here, where you can also find additional digests by other organisations.
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Archive
Where did I find the rudest jogger ever? In a new development for the super-rich
Zoe Williams The Guardian (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Battersea power station has become a plastic playground, and it has all kinds of ways – architectural and personal – to make someone feel small. I read something once about property developers and how they can privatise the public realm with architecture. It was so insightful and profound ...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/25/battersea-…
# International, Planning and development.Housing affordability collapses despite record low interest rates
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Housing affordability across Sydney has collapsed to its lowest level in at least a decade and is on track for the same point in Melbourne as the benefits of record low interest rates are overwhelmed by soaring property prices and stagnant wages growth.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/housing-affordability-co…
# Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market.Rethinking Affordability - SMALL FOOTPRINT
Luke Clark and Elizabeth Price (No paywall)Small footprint design presents an opportunity to radically change our approach to affordable housing. Not only on the scale of individual apartments but also in the planning of our city blocks and existing buildings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wdl0-F00IU&ab_channel=NEVERTOOS…
# Video Australia, Affordable housing, Housing market, Planning and development.New proposal would pave way for tenant associations in San Francisco
(Paywall)Legislation introduced Tuesday would require residential landlords in San Francisco to recognize tenant associations formed in their buildings and to meet with them upon request — up to four times a year. (San Francisco Business Times)
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2021/10/19/tenants…
# International, Rent, Campaigns and law reform.Government announces £65m to support vulnerable households with rent arrears
Tim Clark Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United KIngdom ... The government has committed £65m to support vulnerable renters and low-income households who may have fallen behind on paying their rent. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) said that the new funding comes on top of a £500m household support fund to help vulnerable families over the coming winter. The DLUHC said that the funding will be given to councils in England to support low-income earners in rent arrears, “helping to prevent homelessness and support families to get back on their feet”. The £500m fund will provide £421m to help vulnerable people in England, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80m.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/government-announces-65m-to…
# International, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.Facebook push to find Gold Coast's homeless Princess permanent accommodation
Tom Forbes, Nicole Dyer and Kirsten Webster ABC (No paywall)Dressed in a bikini, David "Princess" Buncombe has been turning heads in Surfers Paradise for more than 20 years. Now, the 61-year-old homeless "child of God" has become the focus of an online campaign, as friends try to find the local identity a permanent place to call home. ... The local St John's Crisis Centre provided more than 33,000 meals to homeless and vulnerable people in the past financial year.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-28/push-to-find-homeless-sur…
# Australia, Homelessness, Housing market, Personal stories.Budget 2021: Sunak promises £640m per year for homelessness
Lucie Heath Inside Housing (Paywall)From the United Kingdom ... The chancellor of the exchequer has vowed the government will spend £640m per year on rough sleeping and homelessness. Delivering his Budget in the House of Commons today, Rishi Sunak said: “We’ve reduced rough sleeping by over a third, but we will go further with £640m a year for rough sleeping and homelessness.” The chancellor said this was an 85% increase in funding compared with 2019. Also, check Jack Simpson's article entitled: 'Budget 2021: Sector responds to Rishi Sunak’s announcements' at [https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/budget-2021-sector-responds-to-rishi-sunaks-announcements-73091]
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/home/home/budget-2021-sunak-prom…
# International, Homelessness, Housing market.Revealed: The 10 best (and worst) areas when saving for a house deposit
Matthew Elmas The New Daily (No paywall)The average Australian must now wait more than eight years to save a house deposit in Sydney after a pandemic surge in house prices. Meanwhile, the average national wait time has stretched out to five years and 10 months after tripling in length since the 1990s. Comparison site Finder released the data this week as part of an analysis that revealed the 10 most affordable and 10 least affordable areas in which to buy a house in Australia.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/10/27/house-dep…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market.