Whilst the Aboriginal Housing Company’s Pemulwuy
project plans to provide beds for 150 students, those living in Sydney are
still struggling to find suitable housing.
Sydney is not only Australia’s most expensive city, but also boasts the
title of fifth most costly in the world. As such, there is an understandable struggle
by students to find reasonably priced accommodation close to the world-class
universities they travel from around the globe to attend. For most
international students, who already pay full fees for their studies, this means
an immense accumulation of debt.
Reine-Soria Ho, who came to Australia from France to study business,
said: “At the end of my stay in Australia I could barely afford to eat. The
rent of my shoebox-size room on campus at UTS cost me twice as much as my Paris
home.” If international students, who by definition can afford to pay full up-front
university fees, are feeling the challenge of Sydney housing costs, then surely
local students are also sensing the weight of independent living. It is an
additional weight to be added to their ongoing university HECS debts. Lucy
Adams, 19, who lives with her parents near Manly, said: “I would love the
freedom of living independently, but for the time being I cannot afford it, and
I already have enough debt in my uni fees.”
Chippendale and Redfern are amongst the cheapest inner-city suburbs in
terms of average rental costs, but they still only offer real estate beyond the
budgets of most independent students. This is a problem, in that it’s these
inner-west suburbs that are deemed most attractive to students, due to their
location in walking-distance of Sydney University, Sydney Institute of TAFE,
Notre Dame, UTS and various other independent colleges.
One other option is renting an apartment in one of the many
multi-storey building blocks such as UniLodge or Urbanest, which are aimed only
at students and decorate inner-west suburbs. While less expensive than Sydney
University’s college-style accommodation, apartment rental can still take its
toll on the student budget, with UniLodge charging as much as $387 per week for
a single room.
On the corner of Cleveland and Abercombie Streets in Redfern lies the
site for the newly proposed Urbanest building. The project proposal outline
states that: “Inner city suburbs like Redfern are experiencing very strong
demand compounded by a city-wide shortage in rental accommodation and housing
supply. The growing number of students coming to Sydney is adding to that
demand. Many students are finding it very hard to get well maintained and safe
accommodation within a reasonable distance to the universities.” While the Urbanest
proposal acknowledges Sydney’s severe shortage in student accommodation, it
does very little to suggest that rent costs will be any more affordable that
its Quay Street, Ultimo counterpart, whose cheapest room is $344 per week. The
City of Sydney and the Redfern Waterloo Authority are yet to approve the
proposal.
Even with the development of the Pemulwuy project, an offset of the
Aboriginal Housing Company, there is just a miniscule improvement considering
Sydney’s three major universities attract over 30,000 international students
each year. While a small number of individuals find affordable living through
friends or scholarships, most are left with very limited options, with many
being forced to resort to on-campus housing, which can do severe damage to the
average student bank balance. St Paul’s College, part of Sydney University’s
on-campus housing, costs $477 per week for rent alone. Without some sort of
continual support from parents or government, maintaining this lifestyle would
be near impossible.
Angus, a UTS film student, recently moved into a share house in
Chippendale: “I found searching for affordable housing really difficult. And
for students it’s practically impossible unless your parents chip in, because
even if you qualify, rent assistance probably won’t cover it. And then you have
to factor in bills as well …” Angus came to Sydney from Tasmania where the
average rent is nearly half that of inner Sydney. If living costs continue to
rise, it is safe to assume that Sydney will start to attract fewer and fewer
students.
To find out more on the Pemulwuy project, email the AHC at
info@ahc.org.au For more info on the Urbanest proposal visit
www.urbanest.com.au/157cleveland/ urbanest_clevelandst_openday_
displayboards.pdf or call the project’s enquiry line on 0435 830 868.
Source: The South Sydney Herald April 2012 – www.southsydneyherald.com.au