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
Perth renters thrown lifeline as “perfect storm” housing crisis looms
Peter de Kruijff The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Rental tenants in Western Australia who fear being kicked out on the street once a COVID-19 eviction moratorium lifts in March have been thrown a lifeline from the state government. A $30 million residential rent relief grant scheme will be expanded so landlords can receive a one-off payment equal to 75 per cent of rent arrears from the emergency pandemic period, worth up to $4000.
For an update on eviction moratoriums around the globe, click: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mD6BfXDwtcVO4CNnw-ba3NRodoAuxZqMoOI_T67IAw0/edit#]
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/western-australia/perth-renters-…
# Must read Australia, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Is There Such a Thing as a Humane Eviction?
Ellen Barry The New York Times (No paywall)From the United States ... As a bulge of evictions looms, a Massachusetts sheriff is searching for ways to soften the blow … [but] the tenants in the third-floor apartment had 30 minutes to leave.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/18/us/evictions-pandemic.html?ca…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.London homelessness pressures reaching “worst-ever levels”, councils warn
Nathaniel Barker Inside Housing (Paywall)From London ... Nearly 90,000 children from the capital are set to spend Christmas in temporary accommodation, boroughs have warned.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/london-homelessness-pressur…
# International, Homelessness.It’s almost time: what will Brexit mean for the UK social housing sector?
Inside Housing (Paywall)After more than four years of political strife and economic uncertainty, the clock is ticking down the final seconds to the UK’s departure from the EU single market. Check out this story ...
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/its-almost-time-what-wil…
# International, Public and community housing.U.S. Renters Could Owe $70 Billion
Kriston Capps (No paywall)From the United States ... By January, when the federal eviction moratorium expires, 11.4 million households in the U.S. might be more than three months behind in their rent, or $6,000 each. (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-10/u-s-household…
# Hot topic International, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Australia wants international students to study here, but abandoned them during the Covid crisis
Diana Olmos The Guardian (No paywall)Education may be a major export industry, but we are not cash cows. Students and temporary visa holders still need support during this unprecedented event
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/14/australia-…
# Hot topic Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Students.Extra $1 billion for aged care but budget still faces record debt and deficit
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)An extra $1 billion will be injected into the aged care system by the Morrison government as part of its mid-year budget update with high iron ore prices boosting revenue and spending pressures reduced as the economy bounces back from the coronavirus recession.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/extra-1-billion-for-aged…
# New policy announcement Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Older people, Welfare.Yes, older Australians need more home-care funding. But these dribs and drabs only make a dent in the waiting list.
Stephen Duckett and Anika Stobart The Conversation (No paywall)Aged care in Australia is underfunded. As a consequence, many older Australians don’t have the support they need. Today’s federal government announcement of A$850 million for an additional 10,000 home care packages goes some way to addressing the long waiting list of people who need support at home. But it’s not enough.
https://theconversation.com/yes-older-australians-need-more-home…
# New policy announcement Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Older people, Welfare.