Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Link Caravans lure priced-out Aussies It is a wet afternoon at the Fairfield West Caravan Park in suburban Sydney and 20-year-old Nathan de Battista is dodging wintry showers to buy cigarettes. His home for the past two months has been a modest caravan. Nathan, who is an assistant manager at a large company, is not here by choice but is a victim of a housing affordability crisis. Decade-high interest rates and a lack of rental properties are forcing record numbers of Australians to live in caravans. "You're looking at six houses [to rent] on a Saturday and 20 to 30 people were turning up and on the form they ask you how much you'd like to pay for your rent, so you can pay more. It's ridiculous," Nathan said. "When I found out they had a free van here, I jumped [at it] and I've been here ever since because the rent's cheap." 'Better than a house' The Fairfield West Caravan Park is privately owned and its waiting list is getting longer. In these difficult times, it is easy to see why. Demand for budget accommodation in caravans is increasing Caravans are rented for A$120 per week ($113; £58), while cabins are slightly more expensive. A typical two-bedroom flat would cost at least twice as much, if not more. "It's the cheapest place to rent. Much better than a house," explained Joe, who is 54 and gets by on a weekly state pension of $270. Another resident, Paul Lipman, said he could not afford to live anywhere else, especially at a time when house prices are beyond the reach of average wage earners. "Yeah, I'd be struggling, mate, for sure," he said bluntly. A study by the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, a Catholic charity, found that an acute lack of affordable housing was pushing more people into caravan parks. "We use the term 'last resort housing' because it really isn't a question of choice for these people," said Dr Andy Marks. People call you trailer trash, which is not very nice. We've got a lot of nice people in here Janet Peterson, caravan park manager He believes that without such inexpensive accommodation many Australians would end up living rough. "This is their last stop before homelessness," he said. "We are seeing people who can't afford to enter a park or can't find a place are sleeping in their vehicles," he added. "There was one chap that we visited [in a caravan] who we brought a food parcel to. He was struggling and he simply said: 'Look, I didn't feel that anyone knew I was in this state.' "We suggested he get back in contact with his family but he said: 'I don't want them to see me living like this.' That's very tragic." Demand increasing Janet Peterson is the manager of the Fairfield West Park. She has lived on the site for 24 years and admits that residents can be stigmatised. "People call you trailer trash, which is not very nice. We've got a lot of nice people in here. We're as good as anybody else." In the past seven years the number of caravan parks in the Sydney region has fallen from about 160 to 70. Mr Daff says more people want the caravans, and for longer On the other side of the city at the Lane Cove River Tourist Park, demand for budget accommodation is increasing. "We have a maximum 28-day stay period and we're finding that because of that housing shortage in Sydney we're getting a lot more applications for people to extend past the 28 days," explained manager Andrew Daff. Among those wanting to stay longer are hospitality staff, labourers, nurses and police officers. Many have been squeezed out of an overheated housing market. For those who have decided to live permanently in leisure parks, they have avoided the pain of rising mortgages and rent. "People don't understand what it's like living in a caravan park until they come here," said Brian Hardwick, a bus driver who has lived in his neat home at the Fairfield West Caravan Park for 15 years. "I've had friends living in a house, they've come here and seen what we're paying. We're better off than they are. They're on the borderline of losing their home because of the interest rates and stuff like that." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
this_prisoner_is_opting_out Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Obvious innit. Shortage of land to build houses on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Obvious innit. Shortage of land to build houses on! Khmer Britannia. It's the only rational solution for a generation that won't reform the monetary system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Loo Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Khmer Britannia. It's the only rational solution for a generation that won't reform the monetary system. whoops, thats it for doctors and spectacle wearers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 (edited) whoops, thats it for doctors and spectacle wearers. Having seen the mistakes of the previous Khmer regime, we are meeting to discuss the Khmer II fractional population system. Or perhaps compulsory regular Spartan feats of endurance. We are also considering a scheme whereby the boomers are forced to spend time young people in the hope that through empathic connection with the economic victims of their policies, that they may ******ing sort things out. Edited July 15, 2008 by DissipatedYouthIsValuable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cells Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Forced slavery. if you build your own home to live in you are kidnapped and chained up as injin would say if you sleep in your car you are kidnapped and chained up... if you sleep in a tent you are kidnapped and chained up.... if you park a caravan in a field somewhere you are kidnapped and chained up the only way to avoid being kidnapped and chained up is to submit a very large % of your labour to the master that owns the "home" you rent. NIMBYism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve99 Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Having seen the mistakes of the previous Khmer regime, we are meeting to discuss the Khmer II fractional population system.Or perhaps compulsory regular Spartan feats of endurance. We are also considering a scheme whereby the boomers are forced to spend time young people in the hope that through empathic connection with the economic victims of their policies, that they may ******ing sort things out. Why do you lot always assume that someone older has the power to sort something out that you don't? Do you assume that as you get older they give you more political power? Politicians have always been older than those who just left school, not a recent phenomena you know. As for younger people, you may not realise it but they are actually more juvinile than they were some years ago. Teenagerdom now last till at least 25 if not 30 and so people don't tend to become political animals till much later in life than they used to and perhaps also most of the last 12 years or so has been the most benign to younger workers since maybe the 60's re jobs, wages and other life opportunities. You are talking crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Injin Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Why do you lot always assume that someone older has the power to sort something out that you don't? Do you assume that as you get older they give you more political power? Politicians have always been older than those who just left school, not a recent phenomena you know. As for younger people, you may not realise it but they are actually more juvinile than they were some years ago. Teenagerdom now last till at least 25 if not 30 and so people don't tend to become political animals till much later in life than they used to and perhaps also most of the last 12 years or so has been the most benign to younger workers since maybe the 60's re jobs, wages and other life opportunities. You are talking crap. Well they could always sell off some of he assets, eh? or is that out of their control? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thread Killer Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 (edited) Why do you lot always assume that someone older has the power to sort something out that you don't? Do you assume that as you get older they give you more political power? Politicians have always been older than those who just left school, not a recent phenomena you know. As for younger people, you may not realise it but they are actually more juvinile than they were some years ago. Teenagerdom now last till at least 25 if not 30 and so people don't tend to become political animals till much later in life than they used to and perhaps also most of the last 12 years or so has been the most benign to younger workers since maybe the 60's re jobs, wages and other life opportunities. You are talking crap. What about William Pitt, prime minister at 24 years old? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Pitt_the_Younger Edited July 15, 2008 by Thread Killer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Loo Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Forced slavery.if you build your own home to live in you are kidnapped and chained up as injin would say if you sleep in your car you are kidnapped and chained up... if you sleep in a tent you are kidnapped and chained up.... if you park a caravan in a field somewhere you are kidnapped and chained up the only way to avoid being kidnapped and chained up is to submit a very large % of your labour to the master that owns the "home" you rent. NIMBYism There is Much truth in what you speak, grasshopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog21 Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Forced slavery.if you build your own home to live in you are kidnapped and chained up as injin would say if you sleep in your car you are kidnapped and chained up... if you sleep in a tent you are kidnapped and chained up.... if you park a caravan in a field somewhere you are kidnapped and chained up the only way to avoid being kidnapped and chained up is to submit a very large % of your labour to the master that owns the "home" you rent. NIMBYism Sounds like Utopia if you're Max Moseley!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Why do you lot always assume that someone older has the power to sort something out that you don't? Do you assume that as you get older they give you more political power? Politicians have always been older than those who just left school, not a recent phenomena you know. As for younger people, you may not realise it but they are actually more juvinile than they were some years ago. Teenagerdom now last till at least 25 if not 30 and so people don't tend to become political animals till much later in life than they used to and perhaps also most of the last 12 years or so has been the most benign to younger workers since maybe the 60's re jobs, wages and other life opportunities. You are talking crap. Just sell us the shit you think you own at a fair price and you might, just might get some grandkids and a socialised healthcare system that survives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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