Limestone Coast at risk of homelessness crisis as JobKeeper cuts, social housing shortage hit home
A regional rental shortage, JobKeeper cuts and overwhelmed social housing is leading more people to sleeping rough and on the brink of homelessness.
Mount Gambier
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A regional rental shortage, JobKeeper cuts and overwhelmed social housing is leading more people to sleeping rough and on the brink of homelessness.
Charity group ac.care has reported an increase in demand for accommodation services in the Limestone Coast in recent months on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More tan 205 people have sought emergency relief to maintain their tenancy and 71 individuals and families searching for safe accommodation in the past two months, according to the charity.
ac.care chief executive Shane Maddocks said the impact of the pandemic had become clearer as affordable accommodation dried up and had led to alarming waiting lists.
“Our staff in the Limestone Coast are seeing the number of people on the brink of homelessness rapidly increasing as people turn to us to avoid or navigate through a crisis,” Mr Maddocks said.
“We are doing all we can to support those unable to afford the cost of increased rent or find a suitable property, however, are approaching a crisis point with emergency accommodation at capacity and simply nowhere available to provide affordable accommodation.”
Staff at the agency’s Limestone Coast Homelessness Service reported a dramatic increase in people in need of support as increased government payments are wound back at the same time as rent costs surged.
“The government must hear the growing consensus in our society that now is the time to increase Jobseeker long-term to a level that is sustainable and allows all people opportunities to afford basic necessities and climb out of the poverty trap,” Mr Maddocks said.
“Otherwise, despite the best efforts of organisations such as ours, increasing numbers of people may be left unable to afford their rent and with nowhere else to go.
Mr Maddock said government spending on social housing had not kept up with growing demand despite the economic stimulus investment would provide.
Mount Gambier couple Lisa and Tristan have experienced what it is like to be on the brink of homelessness.
Unemployed for almost 12 months, Lisa, 21, is working towards a career in child care and Tristan, 22, works part time on a disability pension.
When the Jobseeker payment was cut they got behind on their rent.
“From there things went downhill just trying to pay rent on top of other bills it makes it really, really difficult,” Lisa said.
“We were struggling to pay and we were hoping we wouldn't be get evicted, that was going to be the worst case scenario.
“It was scary, what are we going to do.”
In the midst of a rental shortage, they started looking for a cheaper house before Tristan suggested asking ac.care for help.
The Mount Gambier couple could not be more thankful for the organisation which got them up to date with their payments and are now receiving financial counselling.
Elected members passed a motion presented by Cr Sonya Mezinec to advocate for change at last week’s Mount Gambier Council meeting.
“Government can increase the stock of social community housing which has declined over a period of many years and now we’re got increasing pressures in terms of housing affordability and more and more people facing homelessness,” Cr Mezinec said.
Cr Mezinec said women and children who had escaped domestic violence were met with a backlog preventing them moving from emergency accommodation into long term rentals.
“These women have no option but to return to the unsafe home that they left because, at least they have a roof over their heads and a place for the children to sleep,” she said.
Steven Perryman supported the motion and said action must be taken.
“As a kid growing up in Mount Gambier in the 80s and 90 I never saw homelessness,” Cr Perryman said.
“Now there‘s a number of street walkers that we could all identify, people sleeping in cars at the lakes, sleeping rough in the Railands.”
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