Growing numbers of people hit by housing stress and poverty are joining queues at emergency relief centres in Melbourne’s north, bringing the Hume corridor to the attention of the Victorian Council of Social Service.
Newly released data shows Hume recorded a 63 per cent increase in rental evictions and Whittlesea 53 per cent in the past 12 months, council chief executive Emma King says.
“These are areas that all have higher levels of housing stress, unemployment and youth disengagement than the Melbourne and Victorian averages,” she said. “This new evictions data shows we are creating two different Melbournes – one with opportunities and jobs, the other with entrenched and growing disadvantage where people rely on community services and crisis supports just to get by.”
Whittlesea Community Connections spokesman Ben Rodgers confirmed people had taken to camping out to ensure they were at the front of queues when emergency relief centres opened.
“Since May, and throughout winter, people have been sleeping overnight just to get an appointment,” he said.
He said families were able to receive $80 to tide them over, a handout they can access just once every four months.
Mr Rodgers said housing affordability was “a huge issue” for people in the outer north.
“Out this way, there’s not much below $290-300 a week,” he said.
He said demand was straining the church and community-based agency’s limited resources.
“But people need help and we have an obligation to help them. There’s no public housing … there’s some agency housing, but it’s very minimal.”
Mr Rodgers described as “shocking” the lack of government policies to provide public housing in growth areas while other areas had high levels of public housing stock.
