Housing affordability, renting, homelessness hits western Sydney the hardest

Shedding the stigma of public housing and confronting the ‘astonishing’ figures about the rental crisis that has hit western Sydney the hardest need to be addressed during the election, experts say.

Parramatta is part of the western Sydney housing crisis.

Community and business leaders have released “astonishing” figures to highlight how severe the housing crisis has hit western Sydney, where it can often take a decade to secure public housing.

Public and private housing sector and business leaders addressed the Confront the Crisis forum at Parramatta on Tuesday, and said the region was the epicentre of the crisis when it came to soaring rents, homelessness and social housing.

There are 18,377 individuals and families on the social housing wait list in western Sydney and many are in the queue in areas with wait times of more than 10 years.

There are 57,750 individuals and families on the NSW wait list – which recorded a 15 per cent rise since June.

One in 10 households across 10 suburbs in Sydney’s west are struggling with rental stress, living in overcrowded conditions or experiencing homelessness.

Community Housing Industry Association NSW chief executive Mark Degotardi addresses the forum at Parramatta Square.

There was a 57 per cent increase in homelessness in the region between 2011 and 2016.

“The numbers are astonishing in this part of the world,’’ Community Housing Industry Association chief executive Mark Degotardi said.

“Western Sydney has some of the worst cases of social housing wait list numbers – about one third of the NSW wait list is here in western Sydney.

“We know the epicentre is western Sydney.

“If people don’t think we have a housing problem in this community they’re not looking or they’re intentionally looking away.’’

UNSW Sydney’s City Futures Research Centre’s Ryan van den Nouwelant said about 70,000 households across the region had unmet housing needs and private rental was “absolutely breaking at the seams”.

“This is the state of play. It’s very grim,’’ he said.

Areas such as Liverpool, Holsworthy and Campbelltown had experienced a 50 per cent jump in rental growth over the 10 years to 2021.

In 2011, 22 per cent of Penrith’s population were private renters, compared with 32 per cent in 2021.

At Parramatta, 40 per cent in 2011 were private renters and more than half rented in 2021.

However, the boom in development in suburbs such as Leppington has meant a decrease in social housing.

Many tenants who would traditionally live in social housing have had to rent privately, causing more financial stress.

Apart from politicians, experts want the community’s views on public housing tenants and neighbourhoods to change and to drop NIMBY attitudes.

Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger said the traditional “monolithic” post-World War II estates where government housing was devoid of public transport, shops or services had left a negative legacy.

“People look at that and say that’s a bad model,’’ he said.

“The old model had challenges, the new model’s much better.’’

A traditional public housing estate at Constitution Hill.

He saw an opportunity for the government to redevelop suburbs such as Hebersham and Shalvey near Mt Druitt.

Hume Housing chief executive Nicola Lemon concurred, noting how the Radburn-style estates created social disadvantage.

She said at Airds, near Campbelltown, a primary and high school and “juvie” (Reiby Juvenile Justice Centre) were in a row.

She said public housing tenants needed to live in communities with private owners or renters.

“ … You shouldn’t be defined by your tenure and people in those estates are defined by their tenure,’’ she said.

Blacktown public housing tenant, George, addresses the forum.

A Blacktown public housing tenant, George, told the forum he found a roof over his head after Evolve Housing helped him be “part of the community”.

“It’s been a lifesaver for me,’’ he said.

“We’ve got lifesavers on the beach but I didn’t know lifesavers were on the land ‘til I hooked up with Evolve.’’

Presenting another challenge is the return of immigration post Covid lockdowns.

Mr Borger said the influx of migrants would impact the rental situation, with three million visas approved across Australia since June.

“We have this tsunami of population coming back to Australia very suddenly and, at the same time, we have a one per cent rent vacancies in capital cities,’’ he said.

“And in most cities half of that one per cent is for short term Airbnb-style leggings.’’

Evolve Housing chief executive Lyall Gorman implored politicians to instigate change.

“This is about human beings,’’ he said.

“We’ve got 31 sleeps to the state election. This is not a crisis, this is far more serious.’’