ACT boosts rent relief fund to help low-income earners
The ACT government has announced a $1.8 million boost to its Rent Relief Fund after its first round was overwhelmed by demand.
Transcript
00:00 A high-risk pregnancy meant Flynn Clyde arrived into the world prematurely.
00:07 So there was a lot of equipment that came with that territory.
00:12 That meant expenses Dad Owen hadn't planned for.
00:15 A renter in a low-income household, the soon-to-be first-time father turned to the government for help,
00:22 accessing a one-off grant to cover his family's rent for a month.
00:26 It helped take the stress off or the pressure off getting all those other little bits that were helpful.
00:33 The government today announced a $1.8 million boost to its rent relief fund,
00:39 after its first round was overwhelmed by demand.
00:43 For Canberrans struggling to pay their rent, the fund covers the cost for four weeks, up to $2,500.
00:51 What this payment seeks to do is help people get over some of those humps that hit them in life,
00:56 whether that's unexpected health bills, the car needing repairs, losing some work.
01:02 The Chief Minister concedes it's short-term relief, and the long game is increasing housing supply.
01:09 From public housing, social and affordable housing, large-scale build-to-rent and planning system reform,
01:16 we are looking across the entire spectrum of housing supply with a view to increase it,
01:21 and in locations where people want to live.
01:25 At least for now, supply isn't the problem in the normally tight rental market,
01:30 with vacancy rates increasing and rents going down.
01:34 There's about 15% more properties available at the moment than there was at the same time last year,
01:39 so a bit of a different market, we're bucking the trend to the rest of the nation really.
01:42 Welcome news for those hunting for their next home.
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