The Byron Bay Community: Social Housing Programs

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Characteristics of Community
Major Community Issues, Gaps, and Trends
Collaborative Engagement
Conclusion
References

Introduction

This report identifies a collaborative engagement strategy designed to promote social housing programs as a solution to a homelessness crisis in the Byron Bay area in New South Wales, Australia. Broadly, the report is divided into three parts with the first one providing a background of the community, while the second one identifies major gaps, trends, and issues affecting it. The third section will highlight strategies for collaborative engagement that could help address the issues identified in the second part above.

Characteristics of Community

Byron Bay is a community located in New South Wales Australia. The town is inhabited by about 9,246 people, 48% of which are male and the rest are women (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). The median age of the residents is 42 years and most of them share a common ancestry from Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and England. The demographic profile of the population also replicates these differences because 27% of them consider themselves to have English ancestry, while 21% have an Australian origin, while 10%, 7%, and 3% of the population say they have links to Irish, Scottish and German ancestries, respectively (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). These statistics suggest that most of the residents have European ancestry.

About 23.8% of the workforce in Byron Bay work as professionals, while 16.8% of them are managers (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). The percentage of community members who are technicians, public service workers, and laborers are 13.4%, 12.9%, and 9.7% of the working population, respectively (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Alternatively, the percentage of people working as sales workers, clerical officers, and machinery operators, were 9.5, 8.8%, and 3.2% of the working population, respectively.

Most of the people who are employed in Byron Bay work in five major industries, including accommodation, restaurants, education, construction, and retail. Their median weekly income is $621 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). The accommodation sector employs most of the residents because it accounts for about 8% of the total job opportunities in the town, while the restaurant business employs about 6% of the total residents (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Education, construction, and retail each account for about 2% of all employment positions in the sea-side town (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Other employed residents are assumed to work in undocumented sectors of the community’s economy.

The number of households in Byron Bay run by two parents working full-time is 15%, while the percentage of households who have both partners working part-time is 12% (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Comparatively, 17.3% of households in the town have one partner working full-time or part-time. In terms of household composition, the average family size in Byron Bay is 2.2 people (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Most of these households (53%) are comprised of families, while 33% of them are occupied by single people. Comparatively, 12.9% of these houses are group dwellings (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). These statistics show that the town’s households are made up of different types of family setups.

Out of the total number of houses in the Byron Bay area, 75% are occupied dwellings, while the rest are unoccupied (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). In terms of ownership structure, 35% of houses in Byron Bay have been bought and paid for by individuals, while 22% of them are owned through mortgages (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). A majority of the houses are rented (36%), while those that have an undefined type of tenure ship are 5% (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). These statistics show that the community’s housing model is mostly designed to promote homeownership.

Most community services in the Byron Bay area are provided by the local municipal council – Byron Shire Council. It offers different types of amenities, including early childhood services, after-school care services, preservation of community buildings, management of public toilets among other services (BSC, 2020). The Byron Shire Council is also responsible for providing community health services, including preventive health services, safeguarding food safety guidelines among other services (BSC, 2020). The organization’s community health services are also complemented by those from local health districts, which provide additional public health services, including ambulatory care, and family health services (NSW Health, 2016). Broadly, the distribution of roles among various agencies highlighted above suggests that community services in the Byron Bay area are being overseen by various state and non-state actors.

Comparatively, educational services in the Byron Bay area are also provided by both government and non-governmental education agents with government agencies having a stronger control over higher educational institutions than in primary and elementary education. Comparatively, sports and recreation services are mostly provided by government entities and local authorities or club associations (BSC, 2020). These are provided by a network of power relationships among major actors within the community, which include government agencies, media companies, and private corporations (BSC, 2020). These entities are interlinked in purpose and goal because they all strive towards improving the welfare of Byron Bay residents through the identification of community needs and provision of support and resources.

Being a surfer’s town, the biggest and most commonly known recreational center in Byron Bay is Byron Bay Surf Club. There are several other sports and recreation facilities for different other types of sports played in the town, including rugby, cricket, bowling, gliding, and football. Additionally, community education services are provided across different levels of education, including primary, high, and community school levels. The most common educational centers in the town include the Byron Bay Public School, and a high school of a similar name. The Byron Bay English Language School and the Lexis English Center are other educational institutions located in Byron Bay with a focus on adult learning. Today, Byron Bay is an upmarket location and home to some of the country’s most prominent personalities, including musicians, politicians, and artists. Major community issues affecting its population are outlined in section two below.

Major Community Issues, Gaps, and Trends

As highlighted in part 1 above, Byron Bay is home to one of Australia’s most diverse populations, in terms of demographic and income characteristics. However, a hidden issue affecting the community is the high number of homeless people in the community. Indeed, as observed by White (2020), there are a growing number of people who live in their cars or are residing in temporary shelters. This problem has partly been brought about by the rising costs of accommodation in the town and the dwindling number of job opportunities to support locals (White, 2020). Consequently, it is becoming increasingly difficult to neglect this underserved and marginalized section of the population.

A recent count of homeless people in the Byron Bay area revealed that about 171 people were living in makeshift shelters in three key areas: Brunswick Heads, Byron Bay, and Mullumbimby (White, 2020). This number of homeless people is estimated to represent an 18% increase in the number of homeless people reported in 2018 (White, 2020). Most of the victims are known to be women because local police reports estimate that about 400 women are homeless in the Byron Bay area, either living in their cars or make-shift shelters (White, 2020). Reports also suggest that many of these people hide their “homeless status,” hence prompting authorities to speculate that the number of people who lack proper housing could be significantly higher (White, 2020). Therefore, there is a greater pressure to reach these communities and help them get basic services.

The homelessness crisis in the Byron Bay area region is indicative of a wider trend in homelessness witnessed across major states in Northern Australia. For example, three Northern River Electorates have consistently reported the highest percentages of homeless people in the country. Particularly, the electorates of Page and Cowper account for the highest number of homeless people, at 700 and 800, respectively (White, 2020). Cumulatively, in both regions, it is also estimated that about 4,400 people have dire housing needs. The Richmond electorate, which is close to Page and Cowper mentioned above, also has similar social housing needs affecting 3,900 residents, against a backdrop of 800 people who are estimated to be suffering from acute housing shortages (White, 2020). These statistics reveal that the homelessness situation is worsening every year.

The housing crisis witnessed in the Byron Bay area is a result of several market trends affecting the global and local housing market. The most notable one is the growth of online short-term listings that is practiced across various listing platforms, including Airbnb. It is estimated that there are more than 3,500 listings in the Byron Bay area alone, which serves clients who visit the town on a short-term basis (White, 2020). The trend has led to the tightening of long-term renting options available to residents, thereby increasing the value or market rate of existing properties.

Indeed, as investors troop in the town to take part in the business, they quickly take up available listing options, thereby increasing the demand for housing and causing a similar rise in property prices. Their motivation in making such investments is to reap higher returns from local listings because the return on investments for short-term letting via Airbnb and other similar platforms is 170% of existing permanent properties (White, 2020). Therefore, there is an incentive for property developers to target this market for its lucrative potential and neglect local market needs, thereby fuelling the homelessness crisis. The trend is linked to a similar rise in the value of properties in the Byron Bay area, which has further increased the prices of rental properties to an extent that even some professionals find it unaffordable. For example, White (2020) says that rental prices have increased by up to 75% within five years where dwelling prices have risen from an average of about $530,000 in 2014 to about $910,000 in 2018. Again, the boom in holiday letting options is largely responsible for this trend.

Collaborative Engagement

Opportunities for collaborative engagements should be seized to solve the homelessness crisis in the Byron Bay Area. Its success depends on the implementation of best practices for addressing the problem, which includes promoting the development and implementation of social housing programs through a multi-stakeholder perspective. The social housing program should be implemented in a creative format where different modes of housing could be embraced to create more housing opportunities. For example, co-housing and housing co-operatives could be introduced to create more opportunities for expanding affordable housing opportunities in the community.

The co-housing approach is a community-centered approach to address the accommodation problem affecting the Byron Bay area because it is designed to foster connections among people while providing a housing community where they can all live (Cszichke, 2018). Its plan involves the development of physical spaces that allow neighbors to interact freely with one another. The spaces may include commonly shared areas, such as kitchens, dining spaces, and gardens. These communities are then managed centrally, thereby allowing people to build relationships with one another, based on the different activities they take part in within the residential setting.

The success of the co-housing model has been attributed to several motivational factors impacting people’s drive to embrace the concept, including a desire for human connection, environmentalism, and community support (Cohousing Association of the United States, 2021). Therefore, people who live within these communities share a common lifestyle and growth experience. The same mantra has been adopted in other communities where the co-housing vision has been sold to people as a way of allowing communities to live harmoniously, comfortably, and affordably with one another by spending minimal resources. For example, the Cohousing Association of the United States (2021) has successfully adopted it in various states.

In the Byron Bay area, local authorities should be involved in the project to provide funding for implementing some of the above-mentioned housing solutions. Particularly, financing should be sought from the county department of health and human services because they receive an annual budget for addressing the community’s housing problem and are tasked with the responsibility of developing the proposed housing structures. Additionally, support may be sought from non-governmental organizations and charities that focus on addressing the needs of the homeless. They could help to secure additional resources for implementing the housing management plan.

There also needs to be legislative support from policymakers to implement the above-mentioned housing plan because several agencies need to be involved in the plan. For example, county councils need to approve building plans and accommodation arrangements outlined in the proposals. Their support may involve changes in zoning laws to allow for multipurpose developments and communal housing projects, while additional policy guidelines may be introduced to make changes in the utilization of housing or social amenity services. This is why it is important to involve local authorities and community leaders in addressing the housing crisis in the Byron Bay area. At the same time, it is important to invite all stakeholders in a periodic review exercise to assess progress at agreed intervals of review. The goal of doing so is to make sure that all stakeholders are updated about the completion of project milestones and are equally familiar with the impact that it is having on the community. Doing so will help to improve stakeholder-buy-in throughout the entire process of implementing the housing plan.

Conclusion

This report shows that the Byron Bay area is facing an acute housing problem that is indicative of bigger market forces impacting the property market. Consequently, there is need to strengthen community collaborative support systems to help affected populations get decent shelter. At the same time, stakeholders should embrace community social housing programs by seeking government and non-governmental support to accomplish this goal.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2017). 2016 Census quick stats. Web.

BSC. (2020). Public health and safety. Web.

Cohousing Association of the United States. (2021). Cohousing. Web.

Cszichke, D. (2018). Collaborative housing and housing providers: Towards an analytical framework of multi-stakeholder collaboration in housing co-production. International Journal of Housing Policy, 18(2), 55-81.

NSW Health. (2016). Public health. Web.

White, L. (2020). Byron Bay region’s ‘hidden’ homelessness issues made worse by Airbnb and holiday-letting. Web.

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