Statement from Housing Minister Rose Jackson:
We have been concerned about the future of the Selwyn Street boarding house for some time and remain deeply engaged in solutions to ensure continued access to affordable housing for the people living there.
Last year, my office commenced discussions with the City of Sydney about the option to purchase the boarding house.
The proposal was for a joint purchase with Council and a Community Housing Provider to retain the site as a boarding house and bring it into the state social housing portfolio.
Despite making a sizeable offer, we were knocked back by the developer, who advised us they do not wish to sell.
As such, at this time the Selwyn Street boarding house is not for sale.
While we acknowledge the impact of the forthcoming eviction on the current residents, we cannot prevent a private owner from redeveloping their property.
We are working tirelessly to ensure all residents can be relocated to safe, secure and suitable accommodation.
Since October 2024, Homes NSW and Newtown Neighbourhood Centre have been running regular hubs on-site at the boarding house to connect residents with a range of services, including housing, health and counselling.
This outreach has been about making sure everyone is aware of their housing options and can find suitable alternative accommodation. As of right now, five residents remain on site, and the deadline for the eviction has been extended to 30 June. We will continue to work closely with the remaining residents to make sure no one is left homeless.
I know how vital it is to expand access to social and affordable housing, especially in our inner city.
In the 2024-25 budget, the Minns Labor Government invested a record $5.1 billion to build 8,400 new public homes, in addition to our $528 million homelessness package.
This substantial investment will not only improve homelessness services but also ensure there is proper funding for crisis accommodation in NSW.
Our mission is to ensure experiences of homelessness are rare, brief and not repeated.
Statement from a City of Sydney spokesperson:
At its October Council meeting, the City of Sydney committed to working with the NSW Government to investigate supporting a Community Housing Provider (CHP) to purchase the Selwyn Street boarding house.
The Lord Mayor successfully advocated for the NSW Government to provide a funding contribution. However, the owner has not indicated a willingness to sell.
The Lord Mayor also asked the NSW Government to commit to finding residents alternative accommodation that is affordable and in the local area – this work is being facilitated through the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre and Homes NSW.
Statement from Lord Mayor Clover Moore:
Sydney should not simply be an enclave for the rich. And we need more housing, not less. That’s why stories like Selwyn Street are so confronting.
The City’s Local Planning Panel rejected the Selwyn Street development application because it did not satisfy the relevant planning requirements, which are meant to retain existing affordable rental housing, including boarding houses.
But the owner has appealed the refusal of their development application in the Land and Environment Court.
We will continue to fight this in court, but ultimately, our hands are tied by State Government planning rules, which are woefully out of date.
We’re in a housing affordability crisis, and governments must preserve and deliver affordable and diverse housing – including boarding houses.
I have been calling on the State Government to urgently accept the recommendations from the statutory review of the Boarding Houses Act and consider the significant loss of individual homes as grounds for rejecting development applications.
There are around 4,000 rooms in boarding houses across the City, but that number is shrinking as there is greater profit in converting these buildings into a small number of luxury residences.
The owner of the Selwyn Street properties has said it will evict the boarding house tenants regardless of the outcome, so the NSW Government must urgently step in and either stop that from happening or give these people certainty that homes are available for them.
It is a stark reminder of how insecure housing is for some of our most vulnerable residents and why the NSW Government needs to implement the recommendations made four years ago in the review of the Boarding Houses Act and urgently review planning legislation affecting boarding houses.
The property is not currently for sale. We’re fighting the appeal in court because the developer hasn’t met their obligations in regard to the retention of existing affordable housing.
Sydney is in an affordable rental housing crisis, with the problem particularly acute in the inner city. Boarding houses make up an important proportion of diverse housing in the city, providing much-needed affordable dwellings for some of our most vulnerable residents.
