With the housing crisis still biting hard, residents are being encouraged to have their say on proposed changes to a local law one of which would make tiny homes on wheels (THOW) a longer-term housing option.
Mount Alexander Shire Council commenced a 28-day community consultation process last Friday on proposed amendments to Local Law 13: camping on private property. If supported, the changes would allow people to live in a tiny home on wheels (THOW) indefinitely on a property, where there is already a house, without a permit.
The current local law requires THOWs to have a permit that lasts a maximum of six months, with possible extensions of up to a maximum of two years.
My Home Network (MHN) spokesperson Kaz Neilson said,
“We feel this indefinite time frame is a step in the right direction in an integrated approach to increase the diversity of affordable housing for our community.
“We recognise THOW local law needs common sense conditions to be met. We would also like to explore how to streamline the process, other waste management options other than removing waste off-site, and the option of rental agreements for THOW.
“We have a mismatch of housing supply and demand with only two percent of housing in our shire as one-bedroom units when 33 percent of our community are one-person households.
Nearly 90 percent of local tenants cannot afford their rent and the median cost of a house in Mount Alexander Shire is $720,000. A tiny home on wheels can offer a great affordable housing solution to many.
We encourage the community to have their say, share their views etcetera by visiting www.shape.mountalexander.vic.gov.au. The deadline for input is Friday, March 3.
If you would like to be part of the local housing solution, for more information on the MHN and the MHN tiny homes on wheels, vacant dwellings, advocacy, and home share working groups contact Ms Neilson on cneilson@castlemainehealth.org.au
My Home Network is auspiced by Dhelkaya Health and made up of passionate community members, locals with lived experience of the housing crisis, and representatives from local housing initiatives, community, and local and state government organisations.
The future of tiny homes
Mount Alexander Shire Council is asking for feedback on its plans to remove permit requirements for people seeking to put a caravan, tent, or tiny home on wheels on their property where there is a dwelling, indefinitely.
In December, Mount Alexander Shire Councillors resolved to invite the community to provide input on proposed changes to Local Law 13 – Camping on Private Property.
Currently, the local law requires property owners to apply for a permit to camp or occupy a caravan or tiny house on wheels (where there is an existing dwelling) for up to six months.
Changes under the proposal would mean that a person would be able to camp or occupy a caravan or tiny house on wheels on a property where there is an existing dwelling for an indefinite period of time and there would be no requirement for a permit. A person seeking to camp or occupy a caravan or tiny house on wheels on a property where there is no existing dwelling is still required to apply to the council for a permit through the existing process.
Regulatory conditions, such as the management of wastewater, sewerage, and domestic refuse, will still need to be properly managed by the property owner and taken off-site for appropriate legal disposal at a dump point. Penalties may apply to property owners who do not comply with these requirements.
Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Mayor, Councillor Rosie Annear said she was looking forward to hearing from the community on the issue.
“There has been a lot of discussion over the years about ways the council can support the increase of affordable housing in our community”, said Mayor Annear.
“We’re hoping that the proposed change to the existing local law will go some way towards addressing this.
“I encourage you to tell us what you think about what we’re proposing as part of this consultation. What are your concerns? What do we need to consider? Let us know because we’re listening”, said Mayor Annear.
Finding a place to call home
For Kathryn McGoldrick, living in a tiny home is the “perfect fit”.
“I know tiny homes alone aren’t the solution to the housing crisis and I know they are not suitable for everyone,” the 66-year-old said.
“But for me, a tiny home is the most viable, affordable, and sustainable solution.
“I live very simply and have minimal possessions and I am passionate about ethical living.
“My tiny home reflects my values – I absolutely love it. It is the perfect fit.”
Ms McGoldrick is just days away from moving into her first ever home of her own – a tiny home on wheels measuring 8 x 2.4 metres, quietly tucked away alongside an established home in Castlemaine.
For the former teacher, it will be the end of five long decades of having to find an affordable place to rent only to move again the following year, or a room in a suitable share house, a housesit whenever they came up, or a friend with a spare room she could stay in for a while.
Her story reflects those of other single women over the age of 55 — the fastest-growing demographic of people experiencing homelessness in Australia. A partnership breakdown,
intermittent work between raising two children as a single mother, little superannuation — along with a shrinking rental market, a blowout in public housing waiting lists and skyrocketing house prices — were converging to create a bleak future.
But thanks to frugal living and saving whenever she could over the years, Ms McGoldrick’s dream of having her own home is materialising before her eyes.
After decades of instability and upheaval, proposed changes to Mount Alexander Shire’s Local Law 13: camping on private property would give her the stability she so needs.
If supported, the changes would allow people to live in a tiny home on wheels (THOW) where there is already a house, indefinitely. Some common-sense conditions would need to be met including appropriate sustainable management of waste and all-weather access.
“It’s something I never thought was possible,” Ms McGoldrick said.
“I’ve always been living in someone else’s home, with their things, their belongings, their values …and having to move again soon enough, never knowing where.
“It feels so incredibly grounding to have found a place that’s my place, where I can have my things in it, live out my values, do whatever I want in it.
“It’s not just a place to call home – it’s my home.”
For more information on tiny houses visit www.tinyhouse.org.au.