❓ A Member of Parliament raises concerns about a constituent's long wait for priority housing in Fremantle, questioning the affordability of private rentals and the impact of accepting bond assistance on priority status. The Minister provides limited information and suggests seeking further assistance from the department.
AnsweredQoN 395Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING — FREMANTLE ZONE —
PRIORITY WAITLIST
395. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the minister representing the
Minister for Housing:
I refer to my
constituent Emma Louise Taylor, who is a single mother on the priority waitlist
in the Department of Housing's Fremantle zone.
(1) Can the minister confirm that the
Department of Housing's Fremantle zone has a three-year waitlist for
priority housing because the department is currently assisting priority
applicants listed since February 2011?
(2) How many victims
of domestic violence are currently on the department's priority
waitlist?
(3) Can the minister confirm, as Ms Taylor
was informed by the Department of Housing, that she may apply for a bond
assistance loan, which is an interest-free loan to assist accessing private
rental accommodation; however, that by doing so she will be taken off the
priority waitlist?
(4) Given her Newstart income is $537.80 a
fortnight and the commonwealth rent assistance for her is capped at $144 a
fortnight, how many private rentals could she afford within the Fremantle and
Kwinana zones?
(5) What does the government suggest someone
on Ms Taylor's income, with this long wait for her priority housing,
should do in order to provide a stable and secure home for herself and her
children?
PRIORITY WAITLIST
395. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the minister representing the
Minister for Housing:
I refer to my
constituent Emma Louise Taylor, who is a single mother on the priority waitlist
in the Department of Housing's Fremantle zone.
(1) Can the minister confirm that the
Department of Housing's Fremantle zone has a three-year waitlist for
priority housing because the department is currently assisting priority
applicants listed since February 2011?
(2) How many victims
of domestic violence are currently on the department's priority
waitlist?
(3) Can the minister confirm, as Ms Taylor
was informed by the Department of Housing, that she may apply for a bond
assistance loan, which is an interest-free loan to assist accessing private
rental accommodation; however, that by doing so she will be taken off the
priority waitlist?
(4) Given her Newstart income is $537.80 a
fortnight and the commonwealth rent assistance for her is capped at $144 a
fortnight, how many private rentals could she afford within the Fremantle and
Kwinana zones?
(5) What does the government suggest someone
on Ms Taylor's income, with this long wait for her priority housing,
should do in order to provide a stable and secure home for herself and her
children?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice
of this question.
(1) The
current month of allocation in the Fremantle zone for applications of the same
accommodation type as that of Ms Taylor is December 2011. Various factors
influence the time an applicant may wait for housing. These include the region
in which the applicant is seeking housing; the turnover of tenants in an area;
the type of housing an applicant is seeking, such as the number of bedrooms and
whether it is an aged persons' unit et cetera; and whether the
applicant is priority listed.
(2) Domestic violence issues have been disclosed by 344
applicants.
(3) No.
(4) The
department is unable to answer this question as it has no knowledge of all
private rentals available and the rents charged.
(5) Ms Taylor
is encouraged to visit the department for information on crisis and/or
community housing accommodation providers, and to accept the department's
offer of a bond assistance loan.
of this question.
(1) The
current month of allocation in the Fremantle zone for applications of the same
accommodation type as that of Ms Taylor is December 2011. Various factors
influence the time an applicant may wait for housing. These include the region
in which the applicant is seeking housing; the turnover of tenants in an area;
the type of housing an applicant is seeking, such as the number of bedrooms and
whether it is an aged persons' unit et cetera; and whether the
applicant is priority listed.
(2) Domestic violence issues have been disclosed by 344
applicants.
(3) No.
(4) The
department is unable to answer this question as it has no knowledge of all
private rentals available and the rents charged.
(5) Ms Taylor
is encouraged to visit the department for information on crisis and/or
community housing accommodation providers, and to accept the department's
offer of a bond assistance loan.
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