Suburbs where Tasmanians most likely to experience homlessness revealed

The Tasmanian suburbs where people are most likely to experience homelessness have been revealed in new research that highlights the state’s ongoing woes with rentals. FULL LIST >>

THE Tasmanian suburbs where people are most likely to experience homelessness have been revealed in new research that again highlights the state’s ongoing woes with rental affordability.

A report by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute found Residents of Bridgewater, Gagebrook, Rokeby and the Launceston suburbs of Ravenswood, Invermay and Mowbray were considered most at-risk of becoming homeless.

An analysis of data, which including household income and the 2016 Census of Population and Housing, also identified people in Glenorchy, Hobart, Mornington and Warrane were also at a higher risk.

Lead researcher Deb Batterham, from Swinburne University and Launch Housing, said a person was at risk of homelessness if they lived in rental housing and were experiencing at least two issues including low income, physical or mental ill health, disability, vulnerability to discrimination, or alcohol and drug misuse.

Dr Batterham said this was exacerbated in a tight housing market like that being experienced in Hobart, which is the worst Australian capital city for rental affordability.

Dr Batterham said the point of the research was to identify populations most at risk in an effort to stop them becoming homeless in the first place.

Hobart houses. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE.

“We can’t reduce homelessness by solely responding to people when they present to homelessness services, instead we have to turn off the tap up stream, as it were, by delivering preventative interventions that are tailored for specific areas,’’ she said.

“Understanding the population at-risk of homelessness is critical in designing and implementing such interventions.

“With resourcing and political will, we can do this. It is a solvable problem.”

Researchers from the University of Tasmania were also involved in the study.

Meanwhile, an ANZ/Core Logic report on affordability found the portion of household income needed to rent a house in Hobart was 34.8 per cent and 29.4 per cent for units.

In regional Tasmania, it took 34.3 per cent of household income for a rental home, and 26.9 per cent for units.

In the five years to June this year, annualised capital growth rates of Hobart dwelling values have been the highest of any capital city, at 10.4 per cent.

The report said while this was positive for recent property buyers, those who have yet to enter the market would face greater challenges achieving home ownership.

Earlier this week, the national affordability index showed Hobart was far and away the worst capital city in the country for rental affordability, and that the issue was increasingly spreading into the regions.

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