– Alesha Capone
MORE than 100 rooming houses, including many illegally-run properties, are operating across the north-west of Melbourne, new figures reveal.
The ABS recently asked the North and West Homelessness Network to collect a list of rooming houses to help with the census, to help minimise the undercounting of homeless people.
One of Network’s co-ordinators, Zoe Probyn, said they compiled a tally of around 114 rooming houses, including many unregistered ones, during the project.
“We feel the 100 or so we have are the tip of the iceberg,” she said.
The network covers 14 municipalities including Brimbank, Melton, Wyndham, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Hume and Whittlesea.
Ms Probyn said Footscray, Broadmeadows, St Albans and Glenroy were the major suburbs where rooming houses operated, but Sunshine was also a main player.
In addition, Brimbank City Council has investigated 120 rooming houses in the past two years.
The general manager of city development Stephen Sully said this included 19 registered rooming houses and 55 properties operating illegally in the past 12 months.
Rooming houses, often utilised by disadvantaged or homeless people, are defined as individual bedrooms with a kitchen and bathroom for four or more people.
They are meant to be registered with councils but many are not.
