DESPITE the construction of additional public housing in Swan Hill last year, the number of people on the public housing waiting list has grown significantly.
As of December 2012, 331 people were on the public housing waiting list in the Swan Hill region.
That figure constitutes a rise of 25 applicants since the September numbers were released, and a rise of 30 since March last year.
Public housing figures for the Swan Hill region include not only the Swan Hill Rural City Council area but also Gannawarra Shire and parts of Buloke Shire.
Victorian Housing Minister Wendy Lovell’s office did not respond to The Guardian’s request for an interview, but instead responded with a written reply from an office spokesperson who said personal circumstances could often cause a spike in the waiting list for a region.
“Waiting lists can fluctuate from time to time depending on what is happening in the area,” the spokesperson said.
“An individual’s circumstances can change through the loss of employment or a change in other personal circumstances, which can drive people from the private rental market to search for alternative accommodation through public housing.
“It can be something like a person losing a job, welfare benefits being reduced or even someone who has changed their preference from another part of the state to say that they would like to be housed in Swan Hill.”
The spokesperson added that of the 14 properties expected to be acquired for the Swan Hill local government area last year, 12 had been completed and two were expected to come online shortly.
For more on this story, see Monday’s edition of The Guardian
(04/02/13).
