Case 84: Eviction of young man from refugee background prevented

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A young Somali refugee moved to Australia after having lived in Kenya for eight years. He was unaware that he needed to inform the Office of Housing that he was working casually and as a result, the Office of Housing recalculated his rent, which caused him to be $1000 in arrears. He made attempts to repay this debt but found it difficult to make competing payments to various agencies with the small income he received. The Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic requested that he be placed on a payment plan but this was refused and an order for possession was applied for. The clinic made submissions to the tribunal, asserting that the Director of Housing had not given proper consideration to the young man’s rights under the Charter. The tribunal dismissed the application for possession and allowed the man to enter into an agreement under which he could pay his rent and make repayments toward the arrears.

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