Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (19:13): (687) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Housing in the other place, and the action I seek is that the minister comes to Shepparton and meets with the local housing agencies to hear firsthand about the housing crisis in my electorate of Shepparton district. My office has been inundated with people trying to get housing. I was recently contacted by distressed constituents from my electorate, a 52-year-old woman and her 58-year-old husband, who at present are living in their car. The woman is the carer for her husband, who suffers from heart disease, unstable angina, chronic asthma, diabetes, depression and allergies. She does not want to be named as she feels embarrassed by the situation. However, she is happy for me to pass on their details to the minister.
The woman suffers from sleep apnoea and uses a CPAP machine each night. She also suffers from anxiety and depression, which have escalated due to their circumstances. She said it is becoming extremely difficult to recharge her CPAP machine and she has had nights when she has not used the machine. They were living in a shed but had to evacuate as it leaked and had mould and was infested with rats and mice. Her husband was also experiencing allergic reactions.
The woman was told in February this year from BeyondHousing that they had been referred to Wintringham Housing, were on the priority waitlist and should hear something by May this year. This past week she checked on the progress of their case and was told that Wintringham were no longer accepting referrals. She said they have applied for every house that has become available on the private rental market up to $400, as being on pensions that is the maximum amount that they are able to afford, and even that amount would leave them significantly short. She said they could not compete with the huge number of applicants and due to their circumstances felt they would be significantly disadvantaged in getting a rental property. She said, ‘We keep trying so hard to find something. It is just impossible.’
The housing crisis is a vicious cycle, and this couple are, like so many others, living with housing distress. My electorate has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the state, and BeyondHousing are overwhelmed and also very distressed that they cannot meet anywhere near the demand that they are faced with. They have also publicly raised their concerns, highlighting the local housing crisis. No-one should have to live like this, let alone with significant health issues, like this couple have. I look forward to the minister’s response.