The Illawarra housing crisis is more visible than ever.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Local community pages are flooded with posts from families and singles seeking homes, with many turning to social media after being unable to find a property through real estate agents.
As university students return, the market is only going to get tighter.
Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones says Labor has a plan to fix the crisis.
Thirty thousand affordable new homes across Australia to be built over the next five years, with a focus on accomodation for essential workers is the cornerstone.
"I'm not going to lie, there is no silver bullet," he said.
"We want to target areas like the Illawarra that are in crisis.
"We also want to ensure we have an allocation for women and children fleeing domestic violnece, because we know that's one of the biggest drivers of homelessness at the moment."
He said a federal Labor government would put pressure on state governments and local councils to come to the party and invest in additional affordable and social housing. .
Illawarra business owners have told us they can't get staff, as the staff can't afford rents in the area
- Whitlam MP Stephen Jones
Mr Jones said the crisis was now hurting other parts of the economy, as workers and students can no longer afford to live in the area.
"Business owners have told us they can't get staff, as the staff can't afford rents in the area," he said.
"We've heard of rents being increased by as much as $100 a fortnight for students over the Christmas period.
"People are renting in Sydney and travelling to the Illawarra to work, because it's more affordable than renting here. That's crazy. We need to have this conversation going into the next election."
According to figures released by Labor, in Mangerton rent is up 17.4 per cent ($4,940 per year); in Coniston rent is up 14 per cent ($3,380 per year); in Oak Flats rent is up 10.4 per cent ($2,866 per year); in Shellharbour rent is up 10 per cent ($2,860 per year).
"For working families and students on a budget, such increases are unaffordable, unsustainable and unforgivable," Mr Jones said.
"We knew before the pandemic there was very little affordable housing for rent in the Illawarra - this shows that's just got worse.
"It is vital to workers, vital to students and vital to the economy that we increase affordable housing stock."
The Illawarra Mercury newsroom is funded by our readers. You can subscribe to support our journalism here.
