Housing News Digest
Housing News Digest
The Tenants' Union Housing News Digest compiles our pick of items from all the latest tenancy and housing media, sent once per week, on Thursdays.
Below is the Digest archive from November 2020 onwards. From time to time you will find additional items in the archive that did not make it into the weekly Digest email. Earlier archives are here, where you can also find additional digests by other organisations.
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Archive
California promised 100% rent forgiveness for struggling tenants. Most are still waiting
Sam Levin The Guardian (No paywall)California’s ambitious program to provide rent relief to every low-income tenant struggling during the pandemic has been plagued by delays and challenges, and some renters who are waiting for the aid to arrive say they are now facing eviction threats. California officials have been working since March to distribute funds to landlords whose tenants fell behind on rent during the pandemic, and in June authorities promised that the state would pay off the entirety of the rent debt of qualifying tenants. But the program has been slow to roll out, with eligible tenants across the state having difficulties applying while others say they’ve had to wait months for funds. Tenant groups fear that if problems persist, hundreds of thousands of renters could be vulnerable to displacement when California’s eviction protections expire at the end of September.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/09/california-promi…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, State Government.COVID-19: Tenancy support for Victorian tenants
(No paywall)COVID-19 restrictions are in force once again for Victoria and are in place until Thursday, 19 August. If you rent in VIC, here’s where to get tenancy support. (rent.com.au)
# Hot topic Australia, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Small-home dream can become a nightmare of red tape due to planning codes and laws
Sean Wales ABC (No paywall)Jiri Lev and his family are preparing to move into their new home. But they haven't gone down the mainstream path. "We built a small house to try and remain debt free — it's extremely small," Mr Lev said. To be exact, it's 7.2 by 3.6 metres. ... But they've been surprised by the amount of red tape and regulation that comes with building a small home.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-09/building-small-homes-can-…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Home ownership, Housing market, Local Government.The house that can withstand a cyclone: how traditional dwellings are making a comeback in Vanuatu
Jon Letman The Guardian (No paywall)When Cyclone Pam devastated Vanuatu and concrete buildings collapsed, their iron roofing blown away, there was no loss of life in the traditionally built structures known as saeklon haos (cyclone house).
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/09/the-house-that-can…
# International, Housing market.We Need a World Without Landlords
Ben Burgis (No paywall)From the United States ... Recent battles over eviction moratoriums and homeless encampments have shown the depressing limits of our political horizons. We need to envision a radically different system that guarantees everyone the right to decent, stable housing. (Jacobin Magazine)
https://jacobinmag.com/2021/08/landlords-eviction-moratorium-ren…
# International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.Residents push back on state’s social housing blitz
Rachel Eddie and Chloe Booker The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Andrews government’s plan to build 12,000 social and affordable homes has come up against residents and local councils that have been cut out of the approvals process for the $5.3 billion project.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/residents-push-back-on-…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Local Government, Planning and development, State Government.The cost of homelessness in WA’s public hospitals and how the state could save millions
Marta Pascual Juanola The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Taxpayers pay upwards of $18 million a year to treat the mental health of homeless people in Western Australia, with research showing rough sleepers spend a combined 11,500 days in hospital every year. But that cost could be drastically cut, saving millions of dollars, if rough sleepers were offered a place to call home, researchers from the University of Western Australia have found. ... Homelessness in Perth has also soared since last November, with 1041 people identifying as being chronically homeless in May. About half of those are considered rough sleepers. In the first two months after the end of the rental moratorium, landlords lodged hundreds of termination notices in court and 200 people found themselves on the street adding pressure to the struggling sector.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/the-cost-of-ho…
# Research alert Australia, Eviction, Coronavirus COVID-19, Health, Homelessness, State Government, Young people.Census 2021 will also capture data on people who are homeless — like Hobart man Rob Newitt
Lucy Shannon ABC (No paywall)ob Newitt says he is one of the lucky ones. Despite the recent shock of being thrown from decades of housing stability into a precarious existence in a van, he still acknowledges there are many people far worse off. "It's not a nice existence, but it is what it is. Like I said, I'm one of the lucky few, I've got a roof over my head," Mr Newitt said. For now, the Tasmanian man is based at the Hobart Showgrounds along with other homeless people in vans, cars and tents. "About five months or so ago I got a knock on the door and it was the landlord and I got handed an eviction letter … after renting the same place for 20 years it was a bit hard to take, just an instant: 'You're out,'" he said. There were no affordable rental properties available, but Mr Newitt was able to get an old van to keep himself off the street.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-10/census-for-homeless-in-ta…
# Australia, Homelessness, Housing market, Older people.