New England rental crisis leaves desperate families homelessness

Families in regional NSW are on the brink of homelessness as rental vacancy rates fall below one per cent — and there is no solution in sight.

It’s the regional town with a housing crisis so bad the real estate agent has found herself the target of abuse and even had her shop window broken.

Guyra, in northern NSW, has a rental vacancy rate of less than one per cent and, with no solutions in sight, real estate agent Sue Ross has copped the frustration and anger.

In the past 12 months Ms Ross has sold 40 houses in the area. Of these, 21 had been rented by families, who were forced to move out. Of those 21 families, Ms Ross was only able to find new rental homes for six.

“I’ve copped a fair bit of abuse, which is always tough,” she said.

“We try to do the best we can — especially if they’re a fantastic tenant — and we go above and beyond trying to find them housing but, at the end of the day, if we haven’t got it, we haven’t got it.”

Guyra realtor Sue Ross simply has no homes to rent out. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

But for the families without homes, the crisis has plunged them into a seemingly never-ending nightmare. The displaced families have found themselves in limbo, often having to move to the neighbouring town of Armidale, which is itself suffering from a rental shortage.

Some are living in tents, while others are relying on community services for help.

John Bell, his partner Laura Short and their four children have been searching for a rental for more than a year. Their youngest child is only four months old.

In the past two weeks they have applied for more than 20 properties across multiple towns in the New England area but find themselves forced to live in a motel in Armidale.

“They like to keep the maximum of temporary accommodation to 28 days … we’re now at 23 and have still found nothing,” Mr Bell said.

“At this stage, no one is able to give us an answer as to what happens if we can’t find anything.”

Laura Short with partner John Bell and kids Lane, Jax, Jasper and Paisley are living in motel room. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

With Mr Bell’s family facing homelessness, the stress of finding accommodation has greatly affected the health of the children.

One of their children has cerebral palsy and heart defects, adding to the family’s stress.

The motel room does not have a proper kitchen, meaning that the family of seven is reduced to eating out or using a microwave. Mr Bell feels this has had a negative impact on the children’s health.

“They’re getting mentally drained and not able to concentrate at school,” he said. “There’s also nowhere for the kids to play. We’ve had quite a lot of bad weather so we haven’t been able to get out to parks all that much.”

Community services in the New England area are at breaking point. The Armidale women’s shelter has been full for months.

Many families with single mothers have been seeking the shelter’s help because they cannot find accommodation and there is nowhere else to turn.

With the shelter at capacity, it means there is limited space for women fleeing from domestic violence.

Single mum Jada Weatherall with children Maxim, Faith, Alaina and Taj have had to live in the women’s shelter. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Jada Weatherall has been temporarily living at the Armidale women’s shelter after being unable to find a rental in the town.

With the help of community housing provider Homes North, the single mother has a budget of $565 a week for accommodation, but even this is not enough to secure a rental.

“No one wants to rent to someone with five children,” she said.

“If we don’t find anywhere, I don’t have a clue what is going to happen next.”

The housing shortage is affecting many regional towns and the recent floods have exacerbated the problem.

Ms Ross said families displaced from flood-affected areas along the coast had been coming into New England looking for accommodation.

“We’re full, there’s no vacancy,” she said.

Some families unable to find rentals have been forced to move back in with their parents.

“One family reported to me that she’s got three of her grown-up children and their families living in her home,” Ms Ross said.

Adding pressure to the rental shortage, industry has been attracting more people to the area. Though regional growth is usually a good thing for rural areas, there is not enough accommodation for everyone.

Workers come to work on the Costa Tomato farm in Guyra, and they need somewhere to stay. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Costa tomato farm is a major employer in the Guyra-Armidale region, with more than 800 workers. Many of these are seasonal workers flown in from overseas. As there is no purpose-built accommodation to house them, these families are forced into the local rental market.

Costa has been forced to place some of its workers into the residential colleges at the University of New England in Armidale.

“This is seen as a mutually beneficial arrangement, which makes use of excess capacity in the university colleges and, importantly, reduces the reliance on local housing stock in Guyra and Armidale,” a Costa spokesman said.

“We would welcome a whole-of-government approach, from state and federal government, to put in place appropriate policies and programs to ensure there is sufficient housing stock for everyone. Until this happens, the issue will continue on.”

Federal Housing Minister Julie Collins has pledged $10 billion to build 30,000 social housing properties across Australia.

“Safe and affordable housing is central to the security and dignity of all Australians,” Ms Collins said. “It is concerning that more and more regional Australians are struggling to affordably rent a home.”

Sherri Brazier has lived in Guyra all her life. After she and her five children were given notice that their home of nine years was to be sold, Ms Brazier had no choice but to move into her mother’s house.

Despite both Ms Brazier and her oldest child being employed in full-time work, they have been unable to find a rental.

They applied for almost every rental that became available in the town.

“We applied for about 15 places and got turned down every single time,” she said.

“I just put it down to being single … they think I can’t afford it.”

When Ms Brazier started offering two months rent in advance with her applications she was still unsuccessful.

“I once offered three months rent in advance and they still turned me back,” she said.

While Ms Brazier feels fortunate to have her mother’s support, she knows it has been hard.

“She doesn’t cope at times, she tries her best but I know she doesn’t like it,” she said.

“I’ve got all my furniture sitting under a tarp in mum’s back room. Mum’s a very tidy person and keeps a spotlessly clean house … I just know she hates it.”

If the rental shortage continues, Ms Brazier and her family will have no choice but to remain living with her mother.

“It’s crazy, the motels are all full, the caravan park is absolutely full, there’s just nothing,” she said.

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Originally published as New England rental crisis leaves desperate families homelessness