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Rental crisis forces West Australians onto the streets

Gary Adshead
Article image for Rental crisis forces West Australians onto the streets

Perth tenants facing homelessness are desperate for government support as rental prices increase and vacancies fall.

Since a moratorium ended in March, thousands of people have been evicted or had their rents hiked up.

Cancer patient Tammy said she will be homeless by tomorrow and was told the wait time for public housing is three years.

“I am just not sure what to do, I have a spinal injury as well and emphysema,” she told Liam Bartlett.

“I am up to nearly a years worth of looking for a house with no result.

“I have been applying and applying since July last year, there is about 50 people that turn up to the place and there is only one family going to get it.

Eviction specialist Alice Pennycott from Circle Green Community Legal Group said Tammy’s situation is not uncommon.

“We are hearing more and more stories of people couch surfing, staying with friends and family, sleeping if their cars if they have them.”

Press PLAY to hear more about the rental crisis

Anglicare housing stability project lead Nick Matheson said the support service have had to resort to paying peoples car registration to ensure they have a “legally safe” car to sleep in.

“We are now having to look for non-traditional ways of supporting people in these situations,” he said.

“The heartbreaking part of that is there is families of four with pets, living in cars, because that is the only option that they have.

“Government have to step up now, they have to step up.”

Press PLAY to hear his plea to the government

(Photo: iStock by Getty Images.) 

Gary Adshead
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