Parramatta won’t commit to housing affordability
POLITICAL leaders have refused to commit to allocating a designated space to discounted rent despite a crisis hitting Parramatta — home to the highest proportion of renters in Sydney.
POLITICAL leaders have refused to commit to allocating a designated space to affordable housing despite a crisis hitting Parramatta — home to the highest proportion of renters in Sydney.
At a housing forum at Parramatta Mission on Wednesday, state Liberal MP Geoff Lee and federal Labor MP Julia Owen were pressed about supporting Sydney Alliance and Churches Housing’s call for cheaper rent in 15 per cent of new apartment buildings.
“I’m not going to lie,’’ Mr Lee said.
“It’s naive if you think that’s going to solve all our problems. I don’t think it will. I think the issue is a more complex.”
Ms Owen said it would disadvantage other states if Sydney councils implemented that as a law.
“I’d argue for it but in order for it to work each has to be consistent throughout the states … otherwise we drag money from one state to another,’’ she said.
Greens MP and rental housing spokeswoman Jenny Leong said councils could do to support renters under the State Environmental Planning Policy 70.
“We see more cranes in the sky, whether you’re in Newtown or Parramatta than ever before,’’ she said.
“But we see record homelessness. There are very obvious solutions.”
Sydney Alliance, which hosted the forum, also used the gathering of more than 100 people to mount pressure on local government to adopt an affordable housing policies in Parramatta, where the average price of a house is in $1 million.
HOUSING STRESS
● Housing stress is when more than 30% of a gross household income is spent on rent or mortgage
● The average price of a house in Parramatta is $1 million
● Parramatta has the highest number of renters in Sydney
● Sydney house princes increased 78 per cent from 2006 to 2016
● 22 per cent of low income households in NSW have gone without a meal to pay for rent
● 26 per cent of low income households have gone without medical treatment to pay for rent
Parramatta councillor Benjamin Barrak said an affordable housing plan was drafted.
“I think local government has an extremely important role to play and, in my mind, the most important role to play,’’ he said.
“The local government sector is at the coalface of zoning applications, approval of heights and approval of density.
“I would like to reserve a percentage of this massive growth for affordable housing.”
Coplex managing director Rami Ibrahim said the company had earmarked a portion of new projects to affordable housing including 15 out of 62 units at a Merrylands complex.
Western Sydney University senior research fellow Dr Louise Crabtree said lack of affordable housing created more domestic violence.
“People are staying at home longer,” she said.
“We’re going to see ongoing pressure on and we’re talking about 10-year waiting lists in some instances, and we’re seeing an increase in violence.
“People start living and more and more precarious situations.
“It’s crowded … and people are living in situations they might not be able to live in. It’s a really dumb way for Sydney to operate.”
IN OTHER NEWS
Dr Crabtree said the problem had spread beyond the city.
“People are now commuting from Nowra to get to Sydney for their job,’’ she said.
“This is not just a Sydney problem anymore — this is statewide.
“House prices are getting higher than wages. It’s a pretty broken system we’re dealing with.”
ON A MISSION TO HELP HOMELESS
Guildford’s Liannah Whitworth is not Parramatta Mission’s usual homeless client.
“She is the perfect candidate,” case worker Nora Cardile said.
“The fact she went through so much but still held a job, there was no drug and alcohol addiction.
“A lot of the young people presenting have drug and alcohol problems and severe mental health issues, such such as anxiety or depression, without any support, which does not make them suitable for traditional housing. Liannah is on point and can hold her head high.”
After a family breakdown last year, Miss Whitworth, a childcare worker, left home and was confronted with exorbitant rental prices averaging $300 a week.
“It was really intimidating how expensive the prices were, especially at 19 years of age,’’ she said.
A work colleague suggested Miss Whitworth seek help from Parramatta Mission and Mrs Cardile found her a unit at Guildford with Community Housing.
Miss Whitworth spends $158 on rent and between $250 and $300 on groceries each fortnight.
Transitional housing means tenants have somewhere to live for between 12 and 18 months before going through a process to extend the housing or secure a home through another agency such as Rent Choice or Evolve Housing.
“It’s frustrating at times, I guess, but at least I have that support rather than me going to a rental place and them not taking me seriously,’’ Miss Whitworth said.
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