The Most Exclusive Waitlist In Town Is For Affordable Housing

The Hunter’s social housing waitlist has over three thousand desperate households waiting to enter the rental market.

If you feel like getting into the rental market is getting harder, you wouldn’t be alone.

House vacancy rates in Newcastle have fallen from 1.7 percent in April, to 1.6 percent in May.

While across the Hunter, the number of private rental vacancies has been cut in half over the last 12 months.

This means many families are struggling to find homes, and some are even waiting up to 10 years to get them. 

Community Housing Industry Association Mark Degotarli said, “The vacancy rates for properties have plummeted through covid. We’ve seen many people leaving cities to live in regional cities, and that’s put pressure on the housing stock. Many families can’t find housing at all, and if they can they’re spending far too much money”.

The Hunter's Social Housing Crisis:

Degotarli is urging the state government to address this problem immediately.  

“We are simply saying to the government that we can't wait anymore for a long term systematic investment in public housing. There are so many families, so many households that are waiting for affordable securable housing”, he said.

He is hoping the next State Budget on June 22, will provide serious funding to fix this housing issue from escalating even more.

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