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Trans women will get affordable accommodation in a sought-after area near the center of Australia’s largest city after a council agreed to sell seven properties to the state government at a discounted price.
Seven properties in the Sydney inner-east suburb of Darlinghurst have been designated surplus residential properties by the council and will be sold at a discount to community housing provider Common Equity New South Wales.
Common Equity New South Wales to partner with The All Nations Housing Cooperative will provide properties to trans women in the “high risk” group.
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore said she was proud the council could be part of the initiative.
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore said she was proud her council was part of an initiative to provide community housing for trans women.
“Trans women are some of the most vulnerable people in our society and often face rejection and isolation from their families of origin and the broader community,” she said in a statement posted on social media.
Ms Moore said that despite the progress made in recognizing and celebrating the people who were LGBTIQA+ people and trans people still faced discrimination and exclusion.
“Providing safe and affordable housing for trans women is essential to their well-being,” she said.
“We want everyone to feel confident in themselves.”
The sale will be made under the surplus land scheme which sells unused or underused properties to organizations that provide housing to those most in need.
Money from sales will go to the city’s diverse and affordable housing fund that provides grants for future housing projects.
The Gender Center social worker and transgender woman, Aurora Green, said The Guardian Transgender women often had trouble getting housing due to mismatched paperwork.
“Although it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on their gender, it is still very easy that when someone submits an electronic application, you can see conflicting details and give them to someone else,” he said.
“There’s very, very little protection there.”
Seven properties in the inner Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst (pictured) will be given to ‘high risk’ trans women
He also believed that housing trans people in a dedicated area could create a sense of shared experience.
“In a dedicated service, there is a lot more flexibility for people who are at different stages of their medical transition or if they want to make any medical transition,” Ms Green said.
“When there’s a place that understands why that (identification) information might conflict and is understanding and helpful about it, that’s very important… It also brings the trans community together.”
Two more council properties in the exclusive inner port suburb of Potts Point will also be made available to women with complex needs.
Australia is going through a housing crisis that is especially affecting older women.
The latest national census revealed a 48 per cent increase in the number of homeless women in New South Wales, and a whopping 78 per cent increase among women aged 65 to 74.
Domestic and family violence is one of the main factors contributing to women’s homelessness.
Homeless NSW reported that in 2020 and 2021 only three per cent of women fleeing violence were in long-term secure accommodation.