18 March 2015
Media release
Housing crisis pushing families into rooming houses,
Lateline investigation reveals
An investigation by Lateline aired on Tuesday night shows the alarming trend of vulnerable
families forced into rooming houses because of Victoria’s housing crisis.
Victoria’s peak body for homelessness, the Council to Homeless Persons, says that the State
Government must divert families away from rooming houses by boosting affordable housing,
and investing in Rapid Rehousing programs that support people in rooming houses and other
forms of temporary/crisis accommodation to get into private rental.
“Rooming houses are no place for kids. Parents and children are often sharing cramped single
rooms in houses with up to 8-10 other people. There’s not enough kitchen facilities, meaning
families have to rely on take-away food and there’s often limited safe places for kids to playeither indoors or outdoors”, says Jenny Smith, CEO of the Council to Homeless Persons (CHP).
“No family would choose to live in a single room, crowded under the same roof with strangers
and pay up to $300 per week for the privilege.”
“Rooming houses are the choice you make when there is no other choice,” she said.
AIHW data shows that 200 children in Victoria under 18 were living in rooming houses when they
sought help form homelessness services, and 134 of them are under the age of 9. CHP says that
number is likely to be much higher as AIHW only counts the number of people who have had
contact with homelessness services.
“Rooming houses are booming because the housing market is broken,” said Ms Smith.
“If you’re a single mum relying on a Centrelink income, just 3-in-100 private rentals are
affordable to you. Combine that fact with an 11-month wait for public housing and the result is
families forced to choose between rooming houses or the streets.”
“The solution is to increase Victoria’s level of social housing to the national average of 5 per cent
whilst simultaneously helping families get into private rental by assisting them with bonds and
short-term financial assistance to get on their feet.” said Ms Smith.
CHP has proposed a $10 million p.a. investment in Rapid Rehousing programs that would help
people in rooming houses and other forms of temporary accommodation to secure rentals, and
support them to stay there.
“Ten million per year may sound like a lot of money, but it is investment that targets vulnerable
people who have run out of options, and nips their homelessness in the bud before it takes hold.
In the end it will save Governments money by reducing strain on other social support systems.”
The Lateline report also revealed that the problem of families in rooming houses is spreading to
regional areas. CHP says that homelessness services are reporting a rise in rooming houses in
country areas, including Gippsland, Shepparton, Geelong and Mildura.
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“Regional areas might previously have offered cheap housing, but increasingly we’re seeing
rising rents squeezing people in country areas, and rooming houses are cropping up everywhere.”
Rooming house facts:
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There are 1131 registered rooming houses in Victoria (Consumer Affairs Victoria’s
Rooming House register). The number of unregistered rooming houses, is estimated to
be much greater
4,397 people live in rooming houses in Victoria (ABS, 2011), though recent research
estimates this figure could be high as 12,000
Only 3-in-100 rental properties (2.6%) would be affordable to someone receiving single
parent payments (DHS rent reports, September 2014)
The median rent in Melbourne is $360/wk, and someone on a single parent payment +
rent assistance is on about $380/week.
There are 34,600 people waiting for public housing in Victoria (DHS, Sept 2014) and an
11-month wait for even the highest priority client
Jenny Smith, CEO of CHP is available for interview.
For media enquiries contact: Lanie Harris, Council to Homeless Persons, 0418 552 377
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