NT housing crisis extends to Tennant Ck
Posted
The Tennant Creek Women's Refuge says the town's mining boom and rising rental prices have created a housing crisis, but the Territory Government says it will try and ease the pressure.
The refuge's Georgina Bracken says there is a three-year wait for public housing and Indigenous housing has up to 20 people living in each home.
She says the refuge is calling for more supported accommodation to help the most disadvantaged people in the town.
"So you could imagine for disadvantaged people who don't have adequate income or rental references, it's getting harder and harder and harder to find accommodation," she said.
Territory Housing Minister Rob Knight told Country Hour the three-year wait for public housing in Tennant Creek is concerning, but Federal and Territory housing packages should ease the pressure.
"The COAG have signed a $10 billion housing package through the new national affordable housing agreement and I would like to see significant dollars coming to the Territory," he said.
"In Tennant Creek itself we're about to release 32 one to two bedroom units back onto the market."
Mr Knight says that the demand for housing always fluctuates in Tennant Creek, but there has been a recent increase.
"We have seen some increased demand across the Territory, especially in the regional centres because of, I believe, partly the intervention and, I guess this time of the year a lot of people coming in because of the wet season as well," he said.
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