Express MIDLAND
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
www.midlandexpress.com.au
Housing crisis hits home Joy Carroll and Vera Hemkes are trying to find Joy a home to rent.
Angela Crawford
our most vulnerable are losing a roof over their heads, despite the fact that they loyally paid rent and lovingly looked after homes," she said. According to the local My Home Network, rental stress across Mount Alexander Shire has hit an all-time high. “Nearly 90 per cent of local tenants cannot afford their rent," spokesperson Kaz Neilson said. "Increasingly we are hearing how renters, including elders like Joy in our community, are being forced to leave their homes – away from family, supports and community – to find affordable rentals elsewhere. "More people are living in campgrounds or their cars simply because there are not enough affordable rental properties to meet demand. Continued page 4.
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At 70 years of age, Joy Carroll is facing the prospect of soon being homeless. Joy rents a house in Harcourt but the owners have decided to sell up. She had wanted to buy the property but real estate agents quoted $200,000 above what she and the landlords considered a realistic valuation. "I don't blame the owners, they could get rid of two mortgages for that price," she said. "They're fabulous people, I consider them friends, but it's come in at a price that's completely out of what I could afford." Joy has begun looking for another rental.
She currently pays $317 a week, but the agent said she wouldn't find anything in the shire for less than $350$400. "I can't do $400, I get $500 a week on the old age pension," Joy said. "Through no fault of our own, myself and others like me just want to feel secure, be part of our local community, to contribute wholeheartedly with our experiences and knowledge to those in need. "That's not possible if you don't know how long you can rent there or lay down roots, it's all we worry about actually, along with 'will the rent skyrocket'." Joy's friend Vera Hemkes believes community members are being cruelly priced out of the market. "In my end of town, rental homes are being sold up and