General News
4 April, 2025
Five years on ...... still on housing wait list
FOR five years Warrnambool’s Doug Bowen and his two young children have been on the social housing wait list.
They have lived in local motels, couch surfed among friends, have lived in a bus and currently have some “charitable temporary housing.”
Doug, a widower, cares for his two young children on a shoestring budget.
Daughter Nova has cerebral palsy, is totally dependent on him and can’t walk or talk.
But despite his living situation, Doug remains optimistic that a permanent solution is just around the corner.
He has now waited five long years for that “solution” but unfortunately his story (and his wait time) is not a rare one.
With the current cost of living crisis, and the apparent lack of available housing, many families are facing an unknown future.
The shortage of private rentals and soaring rent prices has made it difficult for many vulnerable community members to find affordable accommodation.
In parliament late last month, Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell highlighted the housing crisis in the region.
“The state Labor government has been in power for 10 years and their mismanagement of housing is plain for all to see,” Ms Britnell said.
She believes the government’s 60 new taxes, of which half are on land and property, have caused many property investors to sell up.
This further reduces rental stock.
“These ill-conceived taxes have forced people out of rental properties, putting more pressure on social housing,” she said.
“The Allan Labor government’s under investment has resulted in not enough rooves over people’s heads.
“The Community Housing Industry Association Victoria said the rental vacancy rate in the south-west was under one per cent.
“The demand for social housing is incredibly high with renters being priced out of an expensive private rental market.”
Ms Britnell said affordable rent was recognised to be no more than 30 per cent of gross income.
Only those earning at least $110,000 a year in the south west could expect to pay an affordable rent.
“It was an indication of how bad things are when concerned community members reached out to me about a 79-year-old man who couldn’t find a rental property and was living in a motel,” Ms Britnell said.
“The Allan Labor Government promised women fleeing domestic violence, ‘public rental housing’ within 10 and a half months. The government has clearly failed as the average wait time is two years.”
In response to last year’s introduction of a short stay levy, Ms Britnell believes that only made it more expensive for women and children fleeing domestic violence to find short stay accommodation.
“The Liberals asked the government to exempt domestic violence victims from this levy,” she said.
“The government was heartless and so desperate for cash that they rejected this amendment.”
Ms Britnell labelled the social housing system as “broken” saying there are massive waiting lists and vulnerable members of our community were languishing endlessly for somewhere to call home.
“This is a disgrace - the government has failed vulnerable Victorians.”
Last week in Parliament Ms Britnell MP advocated for the Bowen family who are still waiting for social housing after five years on the wait list.
In the case of the Bowen family, Ms Britnell said when she approached the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing in March last year, she was told ‘we are exploring all avenues to find them a suitable home.’
Since then, another year has transpired, and the family is still waiting for an update from the department on its status for social housing.
“They are effectively homeless, with no security of tenure,” Ms Britnell said.
“The department told Doug to look for a private rental property, which is completely unrealistic.
“When his wife died, he had to give up work to care for their children. This meant he could no longer service his mortgage and the bank foreclosed. It’s a tragic story.
“Surely this family is the epitome of why we have social housing?”
