Nurses need affordable housing close to where they work in order to deliver healthcare where it is needed.

In January this year the NSWNMA made a submission to the NSW state government supporting the extension of an affordable housing policy to five new councils: Randwick City, Inner West, Northern Beaches, City of Ryde and City of Canada Bay.

The Department of Planning and Environment is currently reviewing its SEPP 70 scheme, a policy that operates in the City of Sydney local government area.

The proposed changes would ensure new residential developments in these council areas include affordable housing. The scheme works by charging developers a levy which is then used to help fund a range of affordable housing options.

“The NSWNMA strongly supports a draft proposal to extend the policy to these five new councils,” said Judith Kiejda.

The NSWNMA’s submission says a lack of affordable housing close to workplaces is impacting on nurses’ and midwives’ ability to be available to deliver healthcare where it is needed. Long commuting times
are also impacting nurses’ health and relationships.

“There are many public and private hospitals and aged care facilities in the councils to be included in proposed new SEPP 70 policy. We know that many of our members are struggling to find affordable housing in these areas,” Judith said.

The NSWNMA submission notes that:

• Randwick City Council’s research has found the Children’s Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick have difficulty filling specialist nursing vacancies due to nurses being priced out of living in the area.
• The Northern Beaches Council has found that the health and social assistance job sector will be the fastest growing sector across the Northern Beaches over the next 20 years, and the opening of the Northern Beaches Hospital will significantly increase demand.
• Concord Hospital is the highest employer in the local government area, and the council anticipates an increase in the number of health care, education and social service sector jobs in Sydney over the next 30 years.

“The changes proposed to the SEPP 70 rightly supports affordable housing policy for low and very low income earners,” Judith said.

“But the NSWNMA’s submission also strongly supports including moderate income earners as eligible for affordable housing, recognising that moderate income earners in key occupations, like nurses, are also priced out of many of these areas.”

Nurses and midwives can be eligible for community housing

The NSWNMA has been working to connect eligible nurses and midwives with City West Housing, an award-winning community housing provider that provides affordable rental housing in the City of Sydney Local Government Area.

CWH owns and manages over 700 apartments of between one to three bedrooms. To be eligible to apply, you need to:

• live or work in the City of Sydney LGA
• have a household income of under $101,400
• not own assets that could solve your housing needs
• be a permanent resident of Australia and
• be currently living in inadequate housing – this includes unaffordable housing.

CWH charges rents that are set at between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of your household income. The properties are of an extremely high quality, equivalent to some of the best properties available on the commercial market.

Their aim is to provide access to housing at a price level that is affordable to low-to-moderate income earners. City West Housing’s priority is to match working households with affordable rental housing, thereby enabling tenants to sustain employment.

The properties are funded by a levy charged to private developers and are based in Pyrmont, Ultimo, North Eveleigh and the Green Square precinct, with five new projects in the pipeline due for completion by 2023.

Living in a share house at 61

Affordable housing should be a part of a safety net that protects people from life’s vagaries and misfortune.

Nurse Lou Housego owned three different properties during her marriage, but when domestic violence led to her divorce a decade ago she was left without assets and a $100,000 debt.

Lou is now living in a share house and she thinks she will have to work and live in insecure rental accommodation “forever”.

“I got here by way of a domestic abuse situation which left me homeless,” says Lou, who raised three children while working as a nurse from 1974.

“We had three properties, my husband was an accountant and the Family Court saw fit to leave him with all the assets.

“Twelve months after I left I found that he put a tax debt in my name and I had to pay this off too. You don’t have any money to fight these things.”

Sixty-one-year-old Lou has been taking contract jobs in Tasmania, Victoria and in rural NSW, “which sometimes give you accommodation as part of the contract”.

Although she would prefer to work in palliative care or theatre, Lou is now working as an outpatient nurse at John Hunter Hospital and living in a share house, which she says is “far from ideal”.

Lou has found renting an incredibly insecure option, with most leases lasting “six months”. If they extend the lease, landlords often raise rents.

As she ages and deals with health issues, getting permanent part-time work
“is getting harder and harder”. There are fewer work options in rural areas, but it is “out of the question to rent in Sydney”.

“I hear of people travelling two hours to get to their jobs in Sydney because they can’t afford to get any accommodation nearby.”

Lou says she sees many other nurses in the same situation as her.

“I have got nursing friends who house sit while they take jobs around the country.”

Lou wants to see more done to ensure affordable housing for essential services workers.

“You also need security of tenure in rental accommodation”, she adds. “Secure leases of up to five years, as in some other countries, would be good.”

Members of the NSWNMA… share your thoughts on articles in the Lamp or anything else important to you as nurses and midwives by sending a Letter to the Editor. Four letters are published in the Lamp each month and the letter chosen as Letter of the Month will win a gift card. Please include a high-resolution photo along with your name, address, phone and membership number. You can submit your letter by emailing the Lamp: lamp@nswnma.asn.au