The Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot was undertaken in conjunction with The Australian Alliance for Social Enterprise at the University of South Australia.
The snapshot surveyed rental properties available in the Adelaide area on Saturday 23 March 2019. The survey used rental listings on realestate.com.au.
Properties were assessed for affordability and appropriateness for a number of different household types and incomes. This survey defined an affordable rental as one which took up less than 30% of the household’s income. The 30% benchmark is commonly used as an indicator of ‘housing stress’ among low income households.
Rental Affordability Findings
The snapshot found that of 2,710 properties advertised for rent in and around Adelaide:
- Only 3% (just 92 properties) were affordable for all households on income support
- 40% of the advertised properties were affordable and appropriate for households on the minimum wage.
AnglicareSA General Manager Housing & Homelessness, Michelle Gegenhuber, said the housing affordability crisis is hurting people throughout the state.
“As the snapshot indicates, there’s no relief for people on low incomes looking for affordable and suitable homes – options are extremely limited,” she said.
“Without a secure and stable home, people lose that vital sense of belonging, meaningful participation in the community, and ultimately their livelihoods. Each night there are still more than 6,000 South Australians couch-surfing, sleeping in cars, in parks or on the street. Without affordable, safe and secure housing options, the cycle of homelessness is impossible to break.”
Michelle Gegenhuber
“The need for more affordable and social housing must be high on everyone’s agenda.
“The severe shortage of affordable homes is leaving families with nowhere to go – they are often put up in marginal housing such as hotels or forced to sleep rough.
“Without affordable, safe and secure housing options, the cycle of homelessness is impossible to break.”
AnglicareSA manages more than 2,000 social housing properties across Adelaide and has a long term strategy in place to significantly increase its stock of affordable and community housing.
Conclusion
This snapshot assessed the accessibility of the housing rental market for 14 household types on 23 March 2019, when housing was assessed against criteria for affordability and appropriateness.
Households reliant on income support had access to less than 3% of the rental market.
Ten years of the Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot has repeatedly shown that housing affordability is at crisis levels for people living on low incomes across the Adelaide area.
“A coordinated, systemic and holistic approach is vital to address this crisis and ensure everybody has a home,” Ms Gegenhuber said.