VALLA residents, Anna and Andrew Thompson, took part in a film made by Regional Development Australia Mid North Coast (RDAMNC) looking at the housing pressures on the Mid North Coast.

RDAMNC recently surveyed key workers, business owners and property owners to understand the impacts of housing availability on key workers and businesses on the Mid North Coast.

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From these interviews they made a documentary called ‘Our Spaces’ exploring housing opportunities that everyday people in the Mid North Coast have created in their own domestic spaces.

“People shared their stories of huge rent increases, lack of suitable housing in terms of size, location or quality, inability to move from renting to buying because of price increases and needing to rely on the kindness of friends and family to avoid homelessness,” said Kerry Grace, CEO of RDAMNC.

Anna and Andrew Thompson told News Of The Area that before they moved to Valla, they lived in East Gippsland, in regional Victoria, where they shared their house with other families at different times.

“One of the families who stayed with us came because we were dropping our daughter off for a playdate and discovered the whole family in their car because the caravan park had raised their rates, and they had nowhere to go.

“We had teenage children about the same age and a back room with an ensuite, so we offered them a place to stay.

“I just couldn’t leave them to be homeless.”

Sharing their home has been an interesting experience for the couple and their family, who learned how to cook fresh gnocchi from an Italian family, as well as how to negotiate boundaries.

“My advice to someone who is thinking about sharing their house with someone, is to set a review date to check it’s working for both parties, as well as manage expectations around how long you expect the arrangement to continue.

“We’ve found the most difficult thing about these arrangements is the transition part, when they have to move on, so managing expectations is key, as is open and clear communication,” said the Thompsons.

Latest data from the 2021 census confirm housing pressures on the Mid North Coast, with median rents increasing from $270 per week in 2016 to $330 per week in 2021, and 45.7 percent of renters paying more than 30 percent of their income in rent in 2021, compared with just 11.9 percent in 2016 (ABS).

“The responses from people who completed the survey back up those figures with their own personal stories,” said Ms Grace.

“The inability of key workers to find affordable and appropriate housing is also having a flow-on effect on employment, contributing to the widespread workforce shortages across the region.”

“While there is no doubt government support is required to alleviate the situation, there are also actions that everyday people can take,” said Ms Grace.

“Our Spaces showcases a series of options from having a flatmate, to retro-fitting a home, to creating shareable houses and spaces.

“With over 81,000 households across the Mid North Coast having one or two spare bedrooms it’s time to consider the role we all can play in turning around the housing crisis.”

The film will be launched on August 25 at the Port Macquarie Majestic Cinema and anyone wishing to host a showing on the Mid North Coast can email RDAMNC at ceo@rdamnc.org.au

Andrea FERRARI