Housing peak organisations

No matter what challenges this year has thrown at us, the team at the Tenants’ Union of NSW remained focused on helping people in some of the toughest moments of their lives, many who faced the risk of losing their home in the middle of this ongoing health and economic crisis. Like renters across NSW, our staff have shown incredible resilience in the face of crisis. Our dedicated executive along with our expert legal team, our incredible education and resources team, and our fearless policy advocates have delivered services and information online and at-home when people really needed them. While the actions and impact of the Tenants’ Union this year are too many to mention, our Annual Report covers the highlights...

Renting Matters is a series of podcasts produced by the Tenants’ Union of NSW and Legal Aid NSW. The series is part of Legal Aid NSW's Law for Community Workers on the go – which keeps community workers up-to-date with legal topics and changes to the law – and has clocked up over 69 episodes with 23,000 downloads and counting. Renting Matters features tenants and workers from across the Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service Network, the Tenants' Union and the community sector. In a relaxed, conversational style, guests share anecdotes, information and tips designed for busy people. We would love you to listen and subscribe via your preferred podcast platform, and share the podcast with friends and colleagues!

In October 2021, around 100 Tenant Advocates from across NSW came together online for our annual Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services Conference, under the theme 'Forging Ahead'. It was a great opportunity for Tenant Advocates to hear from each other about the issues faced by different renters, and to learn, discuss and innovate in our practice. A main focus of the Conference this year was the huge challenges faced by renters due to COVID and the ongoing housing crisis, as well as how we can forge ahead and continue to improve.

Like the COVID outbreak itself, the effects of lockdown are proving worse for people who are already disadvantaged. And housing is a key factor in this growing inequality. While overseas travellers isolate in hotels, and some people own homes spacious enough to be able to follow official guidelines on separate bedrooms and bathrooms, others face very different circumstances. Many renters are in overcrowded housing (Fairfield Champion) or temporary and unstable accommodation (ABC News) because that's all that's affordable in this rental market – this makes it much harder to protect against infection, and follow the lockdown rules. 

VALE JOHN MANT, 1936-2021: The tenants of New South Wales owe a big thankyou to John Mant who died on 10 July, aged 84. He left a legacy still in the making, especially in the field of urban planning. He also made a big contribution to the creation and ongoing support for tenants advice and advocacy services in NSW

The Northern Rivers region is beset by soaring rental prices, social housing issues, a crisis of housing instability and homelessness. In this article Sally Latter, Coordinator of the Northern Rivers Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service, shows why it's time to end no-grounds evictions and transform the housing system.