Housing in crisis

By Melissa Meehan
HOUSING affordability and supply have been acknowledged as a crisis around Australia.
In recent weeks the Mail has covered the sobering reality that people living in the Yarra Ranges are finding themselves caught in the middle of this catastrophe.
Families are emerging as an increasingly vulnerable group in the accommodation crisis of the Upper Yarra and stories of families sleeping in cars along the banks of the Yarra River in Healesville are becoming too frequent.
Last week the Shire of Yarra Ranges moved to fight the problem head on with Ryrie Ward councillor Jeanette McRae raising the issue at a council meeting.
“In the last couple of weeks I have been made aware of a number of families who do not have homes,” Cr McRae said.
“I have done a lot of research, talking to local agencies, about how we can do more as a council, and from that I have prepared a number of motions to tackle affordable living.”
She urged her fellow councillors to support a motion that the shire advocate to the State Government that they invest in more public and community housing to fight the crisis.
Cr McRae said that housing affordability was a major issue for low to middle income households in both rental and home ownership markets.
“Affordability is most severe in the private rental market where one in four low income private renters pay more than 30 per cent of their income on rent,” Cr McRae said.
She said that in the past 10 years rents have increased at twice the rate of inflation, the proportion of low rent homes has fallen by about 15 per cent and opportunities to rent public housing have fallen by about 20 per cent.
“These are problems that governments can address. To be effective, these solutions need to focus on increasing the supply of affordable rental housing,” she said.
Affordable living was also raised at the meeting.
Cr McRae said that costs of essential items in Victoria had “skyrocketed” pushing many low and middle-income households into financial stress.
She moved that the council join the Affordable Living Alliance.
“The Alliance brings together a range of community, charity and local governments together to ease the hardship of low to middle income households by encouraging State Government action to reduce the costs of essential items,” Cr McRae said.
“Through the provision of concessions for energy and water, rates, transport and health costs such as ambulance fees, the Victorian Government plays a critical role in assisting households to afford items that are vital to life.”
Cr McRae also moved that the council advocate to the State Government for the early introduction of accessibility measures in the State Planning Policy Framework, and that a report be prepared in exploring opportunities to facilitate Habitat for Humanity Housing within the shire.
All motions were supported by the majority of councillors.
Late last week the Federal Government’s Housing Affordability Fund (HAF) consultation paper was launched. It was welcomed by the Housing Industry Association (HIA) as a positive measure designed to lower the cost of building new homes and improve housing affordability.
HIA’s chief executive (policy) Chris Lamont said the HAF would provide $512 million for local governments to improve planning processes and assist in meeting the cost of infrastructure required to support new residential development. “The HAF can provide significant rewards for both local and state government and new home buyers. By reducing needless delays in planning processes, local government will receive assistance in meeting the cost of new development whether for new estates or infill development,” he said.