Cash-poor gays get city living

Cash-poor gays get city living

Do you work in hospitality? Or are you a nurse, teacher, police officer or cleaner? Then you may be in luck for cheaper housing in the inner city.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said essential workers were being lost unless urgent action was taken now to encourage more affordable housing.

An affordable housing levy on all new development was debated during a City of Sydney Council meeting last week as one option to increase the amount of affordable housing.

The Sustainable Sydney 2030 Strategy raised the idea of low-rent properties targeted for essential workers, which could be paid for by the levy.

If we don’t take action to address housing affordability, and increase the amount of affordable housing in the city, low to moderate income earners will have increasing trouble gaining accommodation close to the city and certain employment sectors will have difficulties recruiting staff, Moore said.

If supported by Council, the levy proposal would go to community and industry consultation and would also require approval by NSW Planning Minister Kristina Keneally.

Moore added that a levy would have little impact on commercial and industrial space.

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3 responses to “Cash-poor gays get city living”

  1. . . . . .spoken to anybody thats been in housing department accomodation long term . . .most want OUT .

  2. If City of Sydney Council and the State Government starting buying up properties over time instead of letting Meriton take over land and develop wherever they feel like, then government would have a lot more housing stock. They could then charge low rent for low-paid workers who currently miss out on public housing.

    Public housing has become a ghetto for the poorest of the poor – including people with severe mental health problems and no capacity to pay much in the way of rent. If more wage earners had access to public housing, the City and State Government could get a bit more in the way of rental income and those renters wouldn’t have to pay an arm and a leg just for somewhere to live.