Renters & Housing Union

This week, as we crawl out of the coldest winter recorded in so-called Australia for more than 5 years, Homelessness Australia launches it’s annual Homelessness Week (August 5^th – August 12^th). Each year there is much pomp and ceremony surrounding the not-for-profit sectors self-congratulatory Homelessness Action Now! campaigns, with online events, report launches, etc. Annual fund-raising events raise millions of dollars, while organisations like Mission Australia are invited onto the ABC news with claims that the housing crisis is simply a supply issue.

There are more than 81,000 short stay rentals across Australia’s capital cities, and more than 1 million empty homes on Census night 2021.

These non-profit organisations call for state governments to build more social (not public) housing. —Mission Australia is a Tier 1 community housing provider. — Meanwhile, the Victorian state government continues with its plans to tear down pre-existing Public Housing towers. The 81,093 short stay rentals across Australia’s capital cities, and the 1 million empty homes on Census night 2021, further exemplify that the never ending Housing Crisis is a manufactured political choice. The non-profit sector serves to further legitimise this status quo.

RAHU Protest for Homelessness Week.

Grass-roots organisations like the Renters and Housing Union have chosen to take a more direct role this week, launching a protest encampment on a nature strip in the City of Darebin.

Community members have organised with the intent of raising public awareness of the proliferation of housing instability — in 2021 an estimated 122,494 people were experiencing homelessness in some form, with Victoria having the highest rates of Aboriginal homelessness in the country. — The community driven encampment will include community-building events, in addition to skill sharing sessions organised to help survive the struggles associated with housing instability.

In 2021 an estimated 122,494 people were experiencing homelessness in some form, with Victoria having the highest rates of Aboriginal homelessness in the country.

The encampment is expected to continue until the week’s end, on Friday 9^th of August. Follow RAHU North on Instagram for more information.