Media Release
30 March 2020
Housing Plus welcomes government commitments to ensure tenants are safely housed during the COVID-19 crisis.
Housing Plus support Real Estate Agents and owners who are working with their tenants experiencing rental stress due to job loss as a result of COVID-10, to help to keep them in their homes.
If there are private tenants who are worried about being evicted, Housing Plus encourages them to get in touch with their real estate agent and if necessary, there is helpful advice from organisations such as Verto or their local Homelessness Service provider.
David Fisher, CEO, Housing Plus says “My message to Housing Plus customers is we are here to help. You will not lose your house if you have lost your job. We invite any Housing Plus customer who as a result of COVID-19, are now in financial distress and unable to meet their commitments to contact us on 1800 603 300. We will work with individual households to tailor arrangements based on their needs and keep them in their home.”
“We wish to reassure our customers that the additional Coronavirus Supplements, Special Payments or the Government Stimulus Payment are not assessable income for social housing tenants. This means around 90% of our customers will have more money in their household budget, almost double, to meet expenses whilst continuing to pay their rent.” says David.
“Our priority remains in keeping our customers in their home, maintaining our services and helping the most vulnerable. We will be introducing a new Good Neighbour service for customers isolated by COVID-19 later this week.” David says
Housing Plus are ensuring their other essential services continue to operate including homelessness, domestic family violence and employment and training. Clients and customers are encouraged to call the office to talk to service specialists, rather than dropping into their local offices. Details on how to contact Housing Plus has been provided to our customers and will be part of our regular updates.
Though the way Housing Plus operate has changed for now, we continue to serve and support our communities. Housing Plus would like to thank its partners, government departments and wider community for its support.
Details of how Housing Plus are delivering their services can be found on our website www.housingplus.com.au
ENDS
For further information, or to organise an interview telephone Communications Coordinator, Rochelle Monaghan, on 0419 960 710 or email rochelle@housingplus.com.au
For more information about Housing Plus, visit www.housingplus.com.au
