Affordable housing needed in Wodonga

The Private Rental Affordability Bulletin by the Tenants Union of Victoria put the city among the top three of nine that were profiled.

It says all Wodonga households on income support with a median rent experience housing stress.

The average couple with two children on Newstart in Wodonga is the hardest hit, living $202 below the after-housing poverty line.

Singles on Austudy are approximately $140 out of pocket after paying for rent and basics such as food and bills.

A Wodonga man, who did not want to be named, told The Border Mail he was on a disability pension, was single and supported two children.

The man, in his 30s, said he had been looking for a house for a month and applied for about 10 places each week.

“To be honest, I'm at a stage where I don’t care what house or flat it is,” he said.

“Prior to this month I had been living in a tent, but a friend with a kind heart offered me a place to stay.

"I’m starting to get very disheartened with it all.

“It would be nice to have rooms for my children when they visit, but a safe place with a roof over our head is the main thing.”

There was little change in Wodonga from the previous quarter.

But regardless of that, the housing situation is slowly getting worse.

The Rural Housing Network, in the Hume region, has reported a 30 per cent increase in the number of people seeking urgent housing assistance.

Service development manager Laura Simpson said half of those were single people.

“Singles can face additional challenges in affording a private rental, because if they are on a low or fixed income it’s harder to afford the rent on your own,” she said.

“According to our data financial difficulty is the main reason why people sought assistance across all of our programs.”

The situation is better north of the Border where, on Thursday, there were about 20 affordable houses compared with one in Wodonga, she said.