Greater Dandenong tops list of Melbourne suburbs with most housing stress

Greater Dandenong is the feeling the most housing stress in Melbourne as renters and home purchasers struggle with high housing costs across the region, according to the latest Australians for Affordable Housing report.

In Greater Dandenong 21% of households experienced housing stress, as did 19% of residents in Hume and Melbourne local government areas.

In Greater Dandenong 31% of mortgagees and 38% of those in private rentals experienced housing stress.

Residents in the municipalities Bayside and Nilumbik experienced the least amount of housing stress, at only 9%.

“Housing is the single biggest cost of living pressure in Australia. When low-income households spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs they are officially in housing stress. This means they have very little left over to cover other costs like food, transport, bills or money for emergencies,” says AAH spokesman Sarah Toohey.

The report found renters tended to have a harder time than mortgagees with renters experiencing greater stress that mortgagees in every area surveyed.

Click to enlarge

Toohey used the report to call for a government focus on cheaper housing.

“Urgent action is needed by both the Victorian and Commonwealth governments, with a proper housing strategy that includes more than releasing land on the city fringe,” she says.

“Premier Ballieu needs to invest in more affordable housing options close to jobs and services to reduce the squeeze on weekly budgets.”