Long wait for public housing | Northern Rivers News | Local News in Northern Rivers

HELP: Tanya Turner and son Hayden, 12, have been searching in vain for a home for seven months.

Cathy Adams

BALLINA woman Tanya Turner and her 12-year-old son, Hayden, have been homeless for seven months, and their search for a home is getting increasingly desperate.

Ms Turner, who is on a disability pension because she has 'anxiety and panic attacks', is becoming increasingly worried about the future.

She has tried renting privately, has sent forms to the NSW Department of Housing and even applied to live at a caravan park.

They are currently staying with friends, but Ms Turner said it was not a long-term solution.

Now she is worried that unless she finds somewhere to live soon, she could lose custody of her son.

“He means everything to me. I don't know what I would do without him,” Ms Turner said.

“The real estate agents tell me that I can't rent a place if the rent uses up more than 50 per cent of my pension.”

Real estate agents commonly refuse to rent properties to people if the rent accounts for more than half their income.

“But everywhere here in Ballina is so expensive,” Ms Turner said. “And I can't move away. My son gets great support at Ballina High School and he has every second week with his dad. I couldn't take that away from him.

“I'm just lucky that I have two beautiful friends who let me stay with them. But I can't do that forever.

“It's been such a struggle for us. It's not like I'm looking for a palace - I just want our own home.”

The problem of affordable housing is a huge one on the North Coast.

Ballina MP Don Page said there was at least a 10-year wait for public housing in Ballina.

“There is also a shortage of priority housing and a shortage of affordable housing in general,” he said. “It is an ongoing problem and the Government knows about it.”

Mr Page said rental assistance schemes went 'some way' to helping low-income earners.

“We also need to support the construction of more public housing. We need more rental subsidies and we need to increase the supply of affordable housing and rental stock generally.”

Northern Rivers Social Development Council affordable housing project officer Trish Evans said the region had a 'gross undersupply' of affordable housing.

“Median rents in Ballina are very high - at March this year the median rent for a three-bedroom home was $360 a week,” she said.

“But the median income level in Ballina is just $40,400. People are spending half of their income on rent.

“We need to be building a lot more places.

“There are some opportunities for collaboration between local government and the private sector to invest in housing development.

“We have a very significant problem here. This is an area of population growth. The demand (for affordable housing) is not going to go away.

“At the moment low-income earners are being pushed out of areas like Ballina. People are being displaced from their networks. They are forced to live away from services and opportunities.”

A spokeswoman for NSW Housing Minister David Borger said Housing NSW owned 587 homes in Ballina. All but three, which are being refurbished, are filled.

The department is also building eight two-bedroom units in Jarrett Street, with plans to build another 18 units this financial year.

However, the spokeswoman said the waiting list for public housing in Ballina 'varies and changes constantly'.

“The NSW Government focuses on those people most in need, including frail aged people, people with mental illness, people with a disability and the young homeless,” she said.

“Many factors influence how long each applicant waits, including the type of accommodation sought. People are considered in urgent need of housing if they are homeless, at risk in their current housing due to situations such as domestic violence or harassment, or living in housing that is unsuitable for their needs.”