Rough sleepers, waitlist data reveal extent of Northern Rivers’ housing crisis

Grim new data shows the Northern Rivers’ housing crisis is affecting more people than ever.

Skyrocketing numbers of those sleeping on the streets or in their cars have highlighted the acute need for a solution to the Northern Rivers' housing crisis.

North Coast Community Housing CEO John McKenna was interviewed by Greens candidate for Richmond Mandy Nolan this week and laid bare current statistics for rough sleepers, rental vacancy rates and more, painting a shockingly grim picture of our region.

While a healthy rental vacancy rate ranged between 2.5-4 per cent, Mr McKenna said almost every township in the Northern Rivers exceeded that.

In Byron Bay, more than 198 residents were forced to sleep on the streets, the beach or in their cars in a "quite dire" report.

"It is (the biggest count we've ever had)," he said, responding to Ms Nolan.

"People have always seen it as a bit of a welfare issue, people who are down on their luck and with complex needs, but what we are seeing is … it's now impacting right across our community.

"We've got people working well-paid jobs, might be able to afford to rent, but just can't find somewhere."

Mr McKenna noted even those staggering totals didn't take into account the rising "invisible homeless" or the rental rise apparent since the new year.

John McKenna, CEO North Coast Community Housing spoke frankly on the current housing crisis.

 

The Northern Rivers' housing crisis in numbers, according to Mr McKenna:

Byron Bay:

Housing waitlist: 300 residents

Rough sleepers: 198

Rental vacancy rate: 0.7 per cent

Rent rise in units (June-December 2020): 33 per cent

Rent rise in houses (June-December 2020): 66 per cent

 

Ballina/ Alstonville

Social housing waitlist: 450 residents

Rough sleepers: 20

Rental vacancy rate: 0.5 per cent

Rent rise in units (June-December 2020): 21 per cent

Rent rise in houses (June-December 2020): 34 per cent

 

Tweed Heads

Housing waitlist: Over 1000 residents

Rough sleepers: 58

Rental vacancy rate: 0.7 per cent

Rent rise in units (June-December 2020): 40 per cent

Rent rise in houses (June-December 2020): 40 per cent

 

Contrary to many suggestions, Mr McKenna said changing short-term holiday legislation would be a limited fix.

"If they changed the short term holiday market, you might find some of those come into the long-term rental market but I don't think it's going to improve the price," he said.

"That's now been set. The reality is it rarely goes back. I've never seen it go back.

"If a four-bedroom house is now $1000 a week, it's going to stay as $1000 a week."

Mr McKenna said an already struggling housing market had been hit hard by Covid buyers from outside the region.

 

When asked his opinion on how to best solve the crisis, Mr McKenna said it wasn't simple.

According to Mr McKenna, building "somewhere between 250 and 300 social and affordable houses a year for the next 10 years" would be a start.

He said that relied on "targeted investment" from government bodies.

"People ask me is there a quick fix for this, and the reality is you can't ignore something for 30 years and do nothing and expect a quick fix," he said.

"Housing should be seen as social infrastructure. Governments are putting hundreds of millions of dollars into infrastructure projects without looking at the housing needs of people they're going to entice with those infrastructure projects.

"Housing is, and honestly should be, seen as a human right so if governments are not seeing it as a human right but as an economic multiplier then they're not really being true to what a government should be doing."

He also advocated with doing away with "no-cause evictions" and putting in security for long-term leases.

 

Originally published as Even with a good job, you may not get a rental