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
How housing made rich Australians 50% richer, leaving renters and the young behind – and how to fix it
Brendan Coates, Joey Moloney The Conversation (No paywall)Compared to the rest of the world, income inequality is not particularly high in Australia, nor is it getting much worse – until you include housing.
Rising housing costs have dramatically widened the gap between what Australians on high and low incomes can afford. Rising home prices paired with plummeting rates of homeownership are driving up wealth inequalities.
If we want to address inequality, we will have to fix housing.
https://theconversation.com/how-housing-made-rich-australians-50…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Calls to retain scheme helping Australian renters amid affordability crisis
Biwa Kwan, Sam Dover SBS (No paywall)This year, 6,619 rental properties will lose their affordable rental status, under the phasing out of a national scheme providing government subsidies to facilitate housing for lower income households.
Advocates are urging the federal government to continue a national scheme that allows lower-income households to rent properties at least 20 per cent below market rates.
The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) was rolled out in 2008 by Kevin Rudd's government and comes to an end in 2026, with more houses exiting the program each year.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/calls-to-retain-scheme-helpi…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Homelessness, Housing affordability.In Australia’s severe rental crisis, asylum seekers are increasingly desperate for a place to live
Stephanie Convery The Guardian (No paywall)Each week about 150 people are coming to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in housing distress, but only 40 can be accommodated.
Asylum seekers in Australia are increasingly at risk of homelessness as the rental crisis continues to bite, with more than 70% of people who turn up to a leading asylum seeker support charity in housing distress unable to be placed in accommodation.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) has shifted resources since the pandemic to provide emergency accommodation for asylum seekers who are sleeping rough or at immediate risk of homelessness.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/14/in-austra…
# Must read Australia, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Human rights.Pets in Crisis program helps people under threat of violence keep their pets while finding safe homes
Keane Bourke ABC (No paywall)When Kerry Herd no longer felt safe living in her own home, she was faced with a difficult choice.
Go into a refuge, but be forced to give up her cat, or stay in her home and continue fearing for her safety.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-26/pets-in-crisis-helping-pe…
# Australia, Housing affordability, Pets.More social and affordable housing is the only solution to Australia’s rental crisis
Maiy Azize The Guardian (No paywall)A boost in social housing benefits everyone – people in housing stress get the homes they need and building new homes creates jobs and opportunities.
For the first time, Australia is entering the new year with a prime minister who grew up in social housing.
Yet as Australians face a rise in living costs, soaring rents, and crashing vacancy rates, we are also bidding farewell to a key housing affordability measure.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/15/more-socia…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Housing affordability.Queensland housing market in free-fall as question of legacy arises
Danielle Kutchel Pro bono Australia (No paywall)As the 2032 Olympics creep closer — and as the Queensland state government asks for feedback on what their legacy should be — there is a sense of urgency amongst Queensland’s housing advocacy organisations.
The sector is calling for urgent action to help address the shortfall of housing stock, especially for renters and those on lower incomes or experiencing homelessness.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2023/01/queensland-housing-…
# Must read Australia, Eviction, Public and community housing, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Housing market.Meet The Spy Tech Companies Helping Landlords Evict People
Nick Keppler Vice (No paywall)The growing ‘proptech’ industry is now explicitly marketing surveillance tech as a way to evict tenants and raise rent.
Some renters may savor the convenience of “smart home” technologies like keyless entry and internet-connected doorbell cameras. But tech companies are increasingly selling these solutions to landlords for a more nefarious purpose: spying on tenants in order to evict them or raise their rent.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgy9k3/meet-the-spy-tech-compani…
# Must read International, Privacy and access, Landlords and agents, Renting culture.The majority of unhoused people don't stay on the street. Many more are like Sarah.
Ethan Ward USA Today (No paywall)Beneath a glaring porch light over her grandmother’s driveway, Sarah Fay is on her smartphone, searching once again for a place to sleep for the night.
As is often the case when she needs a place and has not already burned through the last of her monthly income, the 28-year-old scrolls through Priceline.com in search of a bed and four walls.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/12/27/los-angeles-insec…
# International, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Work, employment.