Call to protect vulnerable boarding house residents

A report by the NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour has revealed vulnerable residents in State Government-licensed boarding houses suffer abuse by staff and other residents and are denied basic rights such as access to money, family and phones.

'More than board and lodging: the need for boarding house reform', tabled in NSW Parliament yesterday, shows the level of care for boarding house residents is inferior to that received by people in housing run or funded by the government.

It calls for reforms to improve boarding house standards, monitoring and enforcement, as well as legislative change to protect residents' rights.

“What is evident from our work,” says the report, “is that there are fundamental flaws and inadequacies in the existing legislation and requirements for licensed boarding houses, and that these problems can adversely affect the safety, health, welfare and rights of residents.

“Concurrently, the capacity of licensed boarding houses is declining, and there are concerns that vulnerable people are entering unlicensed boarding houses, where there are fewer safeguards and no regulations.”

According to the report, there are an estimated 455 boarding houses in New South Wales, accommodating over 5,000 residents. Of these, 31 are licensed boarding houses, with capacity to accommodate 687 people.

Residents are typically reliant on income support, and pay between 75 and 100 percent of their benefits to the boarding house for accommodation, food, and consumables such as toiletries and cigarettes.

A familiar story
Mission Australia caseworkers from our Rawson Project, which provides support to people at risk of homelessness in Sydney’s inner-west, are all too familiar with the hardships vulnerable boarding house residents experience. One is currently helping a boarding house resident to find long-term accommodation and leave the $155-a-week room in Croydon that requires them to share a bathroom with 20 others.

This person lived in private rental properties for years but was evicted after the landlord wanted to renovate and found he couldn’t afford anything else.

He is also working to help a family move into a three-bedroom house in western Sydney. The grandmother, her adult daughter and grandchild - all with limited English skills - are currently sharing one room.

Our services has been finding that because boarding house residents spend most, if not all, of their income on rent they don’t have much left for food, and are relying on programs such as Foodbank.

Further reading:

• Boarders dying with no dignity


• Shocking abuse and neglect revealed in boarding houses across NSW

VicHealth Media Release: Poor housing and illness intrinsically linked, reports show

The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) and Hanover Welfare Services have put the spotlight on the links between housing and health in Australia, with the launch of two new reports this month.

'Precarious housing and health inequalities: what are the links?' And the 'Precarious Housing and health: research synthesis' show a clear link between inadequate and unstable housing and poor health.

Launched on 4 August, the reports are now available for download from the VicHealth website.

Findings include:

• 10 per cent of Australian households live in unaffordable housing


• Around 12 per cent of people reported difficulties paying their mortgage/bills


• One in four people aged 18 to 24 and half of people older than 64-years-old in private rental experience housing stress


• Unemployed people are 15 times more likely to live in unaffordable housing than full-time employed people


• Women, Indigenous people and people born in non-English speaking countries are more likely to experience housing affordability stress


• People with poor physical and mental health are more likely to experience forced moves from rental properties;


• Around 4 per cent of the Australian population live in unsuitable housing.

Manager of VicHealth’s Health Inequalities program, Kellie Horton, says these reports aim to raise awareness of housing as an important factor in health and signal VicHealth’s entry into this area.

“This research shows there is a clear link between housing conditions and both physical and mental health. We now know that in order to maintain good health, it’s essential for people to live in affordable, adequate and stable dwellings,” she said.

Ms Horton added the reports show a need for integrated housing and health policy and services and better collaboration within the housing and health sectors to address poor housing conditions for disadvantaged groups in particular.

“There are ways to promote good health through housing and these reports provide a great starting point for investigating the options.”

The research was led by Hanover Welfare Services, a leading Melbourne based agency providing services to people experiencing homelessness or housing crisis.

Chief Executive of Hanover Welfare Services, Tony Keenan, says the report has important implications for academics, policy makers and those working in the health and homeless sector.

“Housing and health are both significant and priority areas of government expenditure and service delivery. This research provides hard and direct evidence for what common sense tells us,” Mr Keenan said.

“This research will form the basis of an important movement where housing playing an integral role in improving the health and wellbeing of marginalised Australians.”

Other research partners included the University of Melbourne, the University of Adelaide and Melbourne City Mission.

Interviews with report researchers Shelley Mallet and Rebecca Bentley and VicHealth’s Kellie Horton will be loaded on to VicHealth’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/VicHealthMedia

MA Housing opens waiting list for ground-breaking housing project

MA Housing is seeking applications from eligible tenants for 42 brand new affordable housing units.

The Camperdown Project is located in Sydney’s inner-city and is based on the successful Common Ground model from New York.

The units, due to open their doors in October, will be offered to eligible low income households at less than 80% of market rent, under the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS). Under the scheme, at least one member of the household must be employed and household income cannot exceed $44,128 for a single person or $61,006 for a couple.

This brand new six-storey development has been designed to an award winning 5-star green rating, evidenced by the abundance of natural light throughout the complex. A range of amenities will be located on the ground floor and a 24-hour, seven days a week concierge will service the secure access lobby.

Weekly rents start from $220 for a mixture of studios and one and two bedroom apartments.

As part of an integrated housing model, The Camperdown Project will also provide long-term housing and support for people experiencing homelessness, and is only suitable for people over the age of 18.

If you know someone who is in need of low-cost rental housing, please encourage them to contact MA Housing for more information.

Contact Adi, Brad or Sarah on the MA Housing hotline: 1800 269 672 or visit www.mahousing.com.au for more information.

Media coverage - SMH: Bold approach to homelessness will take 70 most vulnerable off streets

Seventy people who call the streets and underpasses of inner Sydney home will be put into permanent housing under a new scheme, as figures show a jump in the number of homeless.

Platform 70, a project supported by state and federal governments, will involve placing the rough sleepers from Woolloomooloo into heavily subsidised private rental accommodation, to be managed by community housing providers and supported by a range of social services.

Participants in the $2.8 million program have been identified by outreach program Way2Home.

Many of them suffer from a mental illness and substance or gambling addictions.

The Community Services Minister, Pru Goward, said the program was a bold approach that would not only provide housing but also address the issues which brought people to the streets.

''It will also reduce our reliance on high-cost options like crisis and transitional accommodation,'' she said.

The plan was announced a day after a City of Sydney homelessness count found about 118 people were sleeping out in the Woolloomooloo area, a rise of almost 40 per cent on last year.

This winter has seen an unusually high number of deaths among Sydney's homeless, according to Daniel Strickland from Mission Australia's Missionbeat service.

Based on information gathered by his and other homeless agencies, at least 10 inner Sydney homeless people have died in the past two months - a higher rate than he has seen in his nine years at Missionbeat.

The worrying trend was not necessarily down to the cold weather but to substance abuse, chronic disease as well as assault, suicide and accidents, Mr Strickland said. A list of 70 people for the new project has already been drawn up, Sylvia Grant, NSW state manager of NGO Neami, said. The organisation runs Way2Home and will visit tenants and provide support once they have been housed.

The community housing provider Bridge Housing will take on the leases from private landlords and sublet them to the clients, who will pay about 25 per cent of the market rent. Some will remain in the inner city but others will be helped return to their home suburbs or towns, where they will be matched with appropriate support services.

The Sydney lord mayor, Clover Moore, said the new project was "the most significant action on homelessness in decades".

She blamed recent increases in the number of people sleeping rough in Sydney on rising rents.

"It's very easy in Sydney if you do have an addiction or you're struggling with rent to end up here," she said.

This article was originally posted in the Sydney Morning Herald

Media coverage - ABC: Homebuyers shut out until 2020

House prices in capital cities are forecast to stay severely unaffordable for at least a decade, according to a study by the University of Canberra and AMP that found that median house prices jumped nearly 150 per cent between 2001 and 2011.

Sydney remains the most expensive place to buy a house while Hobart is the cheapest.

Ben Phillips from the University of Canberra is the lead author of the report by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) and AMP, which looked at housing affordability from 2001 to 2011.

Mr Phillips says housing in Australia has become severely unaffordable and will remain so for at least the next 10 years.

One of the most surprising figures to come out of the report was how unaffordable houses in places such as Newcastle and Wollongong were.

"It's now the case that these cities are actually just as unaffordable as somewhere like Sydney or Melbourne and the reason for this is because whilst their house prices are a little bit lower, their incomes are significantly lower than a city like Sydney," Mr Phillips said.

"I guess the distinction in this report though is we've sort of split it up into the housing haves and the housing have-nots, and the affordability report looks very much at those trying to get into the market as opposed to those who are already in the market," he said.

Read the full ABC report online

Read highlights from the report here (PDF download - 1.46MB)

ABS Media Release: Consumer Price Index - June quarter up 0.9%

The ABS Consumer Price Index rose 0.9% in the June quarter 2011, compared with a rise of 1.6% in the March quarter 2011.

The most significant price rises this quarter were for fruit (+26.9%), automotive fuel (+4.0%), hospital and medical services (+3.4%), furniture (+6.0%) and deposit and loan facilities (+2.1%). The most significant offsetting price falls were for vegetables (–10.3%), audio, visual and computing equipment (–6.3%), electricity (–1.5%), domestic holiday travel and accommodation (–1.5%) and milk (–4.6%).

Fruit prices increased by 26.9% in the June quarter 2011 mainly due to an increase of approximately 138% in the price of bananas due to shortages created by Cyclone Yasi. Banana prices increased 470% over the six months to the June quarter 2011.

The ABS Consumer Price Index rose 3.6% through the year to the June quarter 2011, compared with a rise of 3.3% through the year to March quarter 2011.

Further information is available in Consumer Price Index, Australia (cat. no. 6401.0) or visit www.abs.gov.au...

The 16th series CPI will be introduced from the September quarter 2011. This will include a new commodity classification and expenditure weights from the 2009–10 Household Expenditure survey. For more details about the upcoming changes to the CPI, please refer to Changes to the CPI from September Quarter 2011.

Media coverage - SMH: Families are the city's hidden homeless

The number of homeless families in Sydney has risen alarmingly, says a report out today.

Families are the hidden face of homelessness, making up between a quarter and one-third of Australia's homeless population, says the Wesley Mission, which provides crisis accommodation to about 500 people each night.

Contrary to the popular image of homeless people as male, single and sleeping on the streets, the report, based on interviews with 50 homeless families, finds that just 7 per cent of Sydney's homeless sleep rough, with the rest in crisis accommodation or "couch surfing" with family or friends.

Women are just as likely to be homeless as men, and mother with children make up more than half of all homeless families.

"Alarmingly, the population of homeless families is on the rise," Wesley Mission's chief executive, the Reverend Keith Garner, said.

"They are in our suburbs, sleeping on the floor in a relative or friend's house, sleeping in their car, living in a refuge after they've left a violent partner, sitting patiently at Centrelink trying to arrange emergency accommodation or living with their three kids in a motel room until a vacancy comes up on the long waiting list for public housing."

Domestic violence is the No.1 cause of homelessness in families, followed by relationship breakdown or divorce.

"They're mostly young, more often than not women, and are almost always accompanied by young children,'' Dr Garner said.

This was worrying because there is a strong intergenerational link to homelessness: more than half of the adults in the 50 homeless families surveyed for the report had been homeless as children. Children raised in homeless families often became "socialised" by the experience, repeating the pattern as adults.

"It is clear from these results that having a parent who has been homeless is a significant predictor of being homeless as an adult," the report says.

"Poverty and alcohol are also common links, with more than half having had parents who had financial problems and issues with alcohol abuse."

Of children aged more than 10 in the families surveyed, six in 10 had been arrested or incarcerated, compared with just 1 per cent of all children aged 10 to 17.

Wesley Mission proposes an 11-point plan to tackle homeless families, including a ''tell us once'' approach from government agencies so that the families do not have to repeat their histories ad nauseam and a single access point to government services and payments. It also proposes better training for those working with the families, more, and more flexible, housing options and more effective management of NSW public housing properties, which often are empty or underused.

Story originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 3 May 2011.

MA Housing celebrates transfer of 494 homes

MA Housing staff and Board members have celebrated the new ownership of 494 homes officially transferred as part of the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan (NBESP) Stage 2.

To mark the milestone, new MA Housing Director Evelyn Horton took on her first official responsibility in cutting the cake at the MA Housing Board meeting on Wednesday.

“It’s a significant week for MA Housing,” said MA Housing CEO Andrew McAnulty. “Thanks to the NSW and Australian governments MA Housing will have the capacity to leverage these new assets to produce even more housing. Together, we are starting to address the affordable housing challenge.”

The 494 homes are part of 37 NBESP projects that were officially transferred from the NSW Government on 18 April, just under half of the total number of homes won by MA Housing in a competitive tender in 2010. In Sydney, the new homes are located at Chester Hill, Padstow, Revesby, Yagoona, Blackett, Blackheath, Blacktown, Blaxland, Cambridge Park, Kingswood, Lalor Park, Lethbridge Park, Mt Druitt, Seven Hills, Shalvey, St Marys, Werrington and Willmot.

On the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, MA Housing has also received properties in Coffs Harbour, Forster, Kempsey, Laurieton and Taree.

These 37 projects will house a variety of tenants, including families and elderly people from the central Housing NSW social housing waiting list. MA Housing aims to provide 1,200 social and affordable homes by 30 June 2011 and will continue to work in partnership with Housing NSW and private sector partners to increase the overall stock of affordable homes in the state.

In April 2010 the National Housing Supply Council reported that there was a 178,000 gap between housing demand and supply, which is predicted to grow to over 500,000 by 2020. MA Housing was established in April 2009 to help address the supply of affordable housing and to provide low income individuals and families with pathways away from homelessness.

ABS Media Release: Consumer Price Index - March Quarter up 1.6%

The ABS Consumer Price Index rose 1.6% in the March quarter 2011, compared with a rise of 0.4% in the December quarter 2010. This is the largest quarterly rise in the CPI since June quarter 2006 when the CPI increased 1.6%.

The most significant price rises this quarter were for automotive fuel (+8.8%), vegetables (+16.0%), deposit and loan facilities (+4.6%), fruit (+14.5%) and pharmaceuticals (+12.5%). The most significant offsetting price falls were for furniture (–6.2%), audio, visual and computing equipment (–7.2%), milk (–6.2%), overseas holiday travel and accommodation (–1.6%) and motor vehicles (–0.5%).

Fruit prices increased by 14.5% in the March quarter 2011 mainly due to an increase of approximately 100% in the price of bananas during the March quarter 2011 due to shortages following floods and Cyclone Yasi. Vegetable prices increased by 16.0% in the March quarter 2011, driven by price rises in cauliflowers, broccoli, lettuce, pumpkin and potatoes due to damage to crops as well as the usual seasonal price rises.

The ABS Consumer Price Index rose 3.3% through the year to March quarter 2011, compared with a rise of 2.7% through the year to December quarter 2010.

Further information is available in Consumer Price Index, Australia (cat no. 6401.0)

The ABS recently completed an extensive review of the CPI and has announced change to ensure the CPI continues to meet requirements of the Australian community. The 16th series CPI will be introduced from the September quarter 2011. For more details about changes to the CPI, please refer to Information Paper: Outcome of the 16th Series Australian Consumer Price Index Review (cat. no. 6469.0), or www.abs.gov.au.

Media notes:

• ABS price index compilation methodologies and quality assurance processes have ensured that any impact of the floods and cyclone on consumer prices is reflected in the data included in the CPI publication. See the section Impact of the floods and Cyclone Yasi for details.
• Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.

Story courtesy of ABS

MA Housing welcomes new Coffs Harbour tenants

Residents of MA Housing’s three new developments in Coffs Harbour, NSW, were officially welcomed into their new homes at a ceremony last week.

The 33 modern homes have been built as part of the Australian Government’s Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan and will be owned and managed by MA Housing.

The Sawtell Road event began with a welcome to country from Aunty Elaine Turnbull.

Residents, including elderly people and singles, enjoyed a celebratory barbecue on site with MA Housing CEO Andrew McAnulty, Coffs Harbour Mayor Councillor Keith Rhodes and Housing NSW Area Director Phil Webber.

The barbecue provided the perfect opportunity for residents to get to know each other and speak to MA Housing staff, including Housing Manager Karina Orton.

Before the residents moved into their new affordable homes, Ms Orton spent considerable time with them, seeking to understand their requirements and preferences.

“Our staff do a lot of preparation work to ensure we factor in individual household needs and wants when positioning them within developments,” she said at the barbecue last Wednesday.

“For example, we do our best to make sure that those people who need extra privacy aren't going to have balconies facing their yards, or people who thrive on social interaction are placed where they’ll get more opportunities to interact with their neighbours.”

Mr McAnulty said the new developments were a significant contribution to the creation of more homes for people on low incomes in regional NSW.
“NSW has a significant affordable housing challenge. Thanks to the NSW and Australian governments these homes – and others being built around the state – are an important step in overcoming the issue,” he said.

“Housing NSW should be commended for the design and quality of these new homes.”
Mr McAnulty also announced that our next development in Coffs Harbour, which is being developed by local firm Seaheat, was now progressing on site and would produce another 14 new homes by the end of the year.

Photo: MA Housing Receptionist Kath Holohan (centre) with two Coffs Harbour tenants.

Further reading:

• ‘Rental squeeze hits hard as cheaper housing dries up’ - The Sydney Morning Herald
• MA Housing’s website - mahousing.com.au
• Latest MA Housing news

ABS Media Release: Shedding some light on youth homelessness

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the National Youth Coalition for Housing (NYCH) have joined forces to shed some light on youth homelessness.

To coincide with Youth Homelessness Matters Day the NYCH is encouraging young people who may be experiencing homelessness to participate in the 2011 Census in August.

Chair of the NYCH, Maria Leebeek says the theme of Youth Homelessness Matters Day is Hide and Seek - the hidden nature of youth homelessness.

“The theme highlights that many young people who are homeless are couch surfing in friends’ homes and not sleeping rough,” Ms Leebeek says.

Couch surfers are people who are living in temporary accommodation or temporarily staying on a friend’s or family member’s lounge.

“By capturing where young people are couch surfing in the Census, we are then able to dedicate resources to support these young people and stop the potential slide into chronic homelessness,” Ms Leebeek adds.

It is important that couch surfers complete the Census and mark ‘none’ as their usual place of residence when completing the Census.

Paul Lowe, Head of the Census Program says the support of homeless service providers such as NYCH is critical to the success of the Census.

“The Census gives government, decision makers and community organisations a snapshot of Australia, including the number of couch surfers and people sleeping rough,” Mr Lowe says.

Mr Lowe is calling on community minded people to work as a Collector on the 2011 Census.

“Being a Collector is a fantastic opportunity to help your neighbourhood while earning some extra money,” Mr Lowe adds.

Census Collectors can earn between $1,300 and $2,800 for the casual position and will be employed from 1 July until 8 September.

Applicant information kits are available online at www.abs.gov.au/census or call 1800 420 182.

Opening doors during Seniors Week

MA Housing has nine brand new affordable dwellings now ready for occupation by older people in western Sydney – just in time for NSW Seniors Week 2011.

The nine homes in Mt Druitt were transferred to MA Housing by Housing NSW as part of the Australian Government’s Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan.

The dwellings have been designed with “senior living” in mind, featuring lower than usual door handles and light switches, accessible shower areas and private courtyards that are ideal for gardening.

They are among the 808 Nation Building homes that MA Housing is delighted to manage in the greater Western Sydney region.

MA Housing will have approximately 165 more “senior living” dwellings transferred into its management this year. While these developments offer plenty of privacy for older residents, they are also designed to encourage interaction with the community.

“It’s very important that our older tenants get involved in what’s going on around them,” said James Cameron, a Housing Manager based at MA Housing’s Blacktown office.

“Some have come from living alone in houses, so they have experienced isolation.”

Dorothy (pictured) is one such senior who is enjoying life more since moving from a large home to one of our senior living dwellings. “Before I would lock myself in my house because I was worried about break-ins,” the widow said. “I can now open my windows and I feel safe”.

To encourage new tenants to enjoy more independent and secure lives, MA Housing provides a printed copy of the Department of Fair Trading’s Seniors Guide.

“In fact, many of our older tenants are also our most enthusiastic,” Mr Cameron said. “They love contributing recipes to the MA Housing newsletter and letting us know how they’re getting on.”

MA Housing is currently working with Housing NSW to sign new tenants to the Mt Druitt senior living development, and hopes to distribute keys within the next few weeks.

Well done, FebFasters!

Our Team SA’s Carol Hampton,
Alisa Wills, Sean Lappin and Kim Holmes
at the FebFast mocktail party
launch last month. 

Congratulations to everyone who took part in FebFast 2011 and helped to raise funds for Mission Australia’s youth services.

More than 7,000 FebFasters completed their four-week break from booze on Monday, ending the month feeling healthier and hopefully proud of their efforts.

Importantly, FebFast enables people to come together to give young people with alcohol and drug related problems a second chance at a healthy life.

So far, FebFasters have raised over $733,000 for youth services across the nation, including three Mission Australia programs - Drug and Alcohol Youth Service (DAYS) in Western Australia; our Hindmarsh Centre’s after-hours mobile youth support service in South Australia, and Youth Beat, which reaches out to young people from it's base at Chigwell House in Glenorchy, Tasmania.

Staff at Mission Australia have raised over $7,600 through FebFast, with our South Australian Team making FebFast’s Top 10 fundraiser list. Coming in at number eight, the team has already raised $3,280 for our youth services. However, with more funds coming in this month the final tally won’t be announced for some time. 

Sean Lappin, Mission Australia’s National Advisor, Homelessness/Housing and the SA Team’s top FebFast fundraiser to date, said the whole FebFast experience was overwhelmingly positive:

“I was inspired by the opportunity to raise money for young people who have drug and alcohol issues, and the chance to contribute to a whole lot of good services provided by Mission Australia and other organisations such as the Ted Noffs Foundation,” Sean said.

“I also enjoyed the opportunity to improve my health and think more about eating better and exercising.”

Well done to all our FebFasters on your fantastic efforts this month. Remember, you can still recruit sponsors until the end of March.