The unprecendented housing boom taking place on Melbourne’s outer north and western fringes highlights both a lack of housing choice in areas closer to the CBD and the high cost of homes in middle-range suburbs – even though housing stock in these areas may be of lesser quality.
This finding is contained in international rating agency Fitch’s newly released global mortgage and housing market “outlook”.
The agency examined 17 developed nations and found Australia to be one of the four most expensive of the group for housing.
“Relative to rents, house prices in a number of countries are significantly above 1997 levels,” the report observed.
It said this was especially the case in Belgium, France, the UK, Australia and Canada, where house prices had soared more than 170 per cent since 1997.
Mernda and Doreen share the fastest-growing postcode in the nation, but keeping infrastructure apace with the housing boom is proving too much for state and federal governments.
So local councils and communities are taking up the slack in whatever ways they can.
Whittlesea Community Connections is on a mission to raise $6000 in 60 days and there are just 10 days to go.
The funds will be used for the group’s housing brokerage and support project to fight homelessness in the city and help those struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
Client services team leader Ben Rodgers said that by providing interest-free loans to assist people into private rental, such as covering bond or the first month’s rent, the project was doing more than preventing homelessness.
“It is also providing people with one-on-one support to navigate the rental process and address other issues that may be impacting on their lives and making it hard to find long-term housing,” he said.
People can donate at www.chuffed.org/project/wcc/
In Craigieburn, youth worker Ben Falcone-Mayo has pulled off an innovative project to provide young homeless people with special pillowcase packs.
“I want to give young people packs filled with basic toiletries and service information that can help support them,” Mr Falcone-Mayo said.
Workskil Australia, a non-profit community organisation, has offered to help pay for more than 60 of the packs.
Mr Falcone-Mayo said the pillowcases would be designed by One Night Stand Sleepwear, a social enterprise start-up that supports young people sleeping rough.
One Night Stand will also help to distribute the pillowcase packs.
HELEN GRIMAUX
» … For more information about the Home Packs, contact Ben Falcone-Mayo on 0447 818 364 or benjaminfalcone@gmail.com
