HOMELESSNESS is rife in Ballarat and that’s a fact.
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Concerning figures released by the Victorian Council to Homeless Persons show a large number of people in Ballarat are struggling to keep a roof over their head.
Policy manager Sarah Toohey said low incomes and a lack of affordable housing had resulted in more people experiencing homelessness.
“In the Central Highlands, there were 850 people on the public housing waiting list in September this year, and 30 per cent of renters are in housing stress,” she said.
“In the electorates of Wendouree and Buninyong combined, that’s 3225 people.”
Figures from the 2011 census also showed 422 people were experiencing homelessness in the Ballarat region on census night. And further figures from the Department of Human Services for the June quarter show there were just 23 affordable one-bedroom rentals in the region.
Ms Toohey said the link between housing affordability and homelessness could not be underestimated.
“If you’re earning $640 or less a week, and paying a third of that on rent, you’re left with only a few dollars spare for groceries and bills. It puts real strain on people; causing stress, anxiety and contributing to family breakdown,” she said.
Ms Toohey said that while not all homeless people were sleeping rough, the effects of homelessness could be devastating.
“We know the longer people stay homeless, the more difficult it is to get out, as people’s mental health deteriorates and they often lose connections with family and friends,” she said.
UnitingCare Homeless Response and Housing Program manager Wendy Ferguson said many factors including drugs, alcohol, mental health and family breakdowns could result in people experiencing homelessness.
However, she said it was also housing affordability, a lack of public housing and criticism from the public for affordable housing strategies that were causing an issue for people urgently needing help.
“There is a lack of affordable accommodation and most of our clients are on some sort of Centrelink payment,” she said
“The Newstart allowance is barely $500 a fortnight. If you look at that from an affordability point of view, it’s only $250 a week and if you get one thing wrong, you could get yourself in financial trouble.
“There is also so much competition for rent. One of the things that contributes to that is our high student turnover. Because the university can’t offer accommodation for everyone, they filter into the private rental market.
“And because they have a lot of students who can afford the higher rent, there is a domino effect on locals with lower incomes.
“That’s why we need public housing. Rent is calculated on 25 per cent of your income, so if your income comes down, your rent does.
“Council also gets a lot of criticism from the community. The community needs to realise we don’t have enough affordable housing and be willing to accept that.”
According to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, the weekly medium rent for a one-bedroom unit in Wendouree is $140, while for a two-bedroom house in Sebastopol it is $233.
alicia.thomas@fairfaxmedia.com.au