Case 75: Young woman given the opportunity to find appropriate housing

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A young woman with a refugee background was given a notice to vacate at the end of her three-month fixed-term tenancy agreement in transitional housing operated by a private provider. Despite having engaged a caseworker and lodging an application for public housing, she had not received assistance to find appropriate accommodation. Following the expiry of the notice period the private provider applied to evict her. The Homeless Persons Legal Clinic helped her to argue that eviction would be incompatible with her Charter right not to have her home unlawfully or arbitrarily interfered with. As a consequence, the housing provider withdrew the application for possession and signed a second 3-month lease. After this second lease period ended, the young woman had still not found appropriate alternative accommodation. However, with the assistance, she was approved for public housing and further, through negotiating with the private provider, was able to stay in the property during the application process.

Source: Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic, Submission to the Review of the Victorian Charter, 2011