MEDIA RELEASE:- TAKE A MINUTE TO THINK: COMPASSION, COMMUNITY and HOME

On Tuesday, SBS Insights’ Jenny Brockie hosted a program on the raw plight of homeless women. We strongly urge everyone to view the episode. Earlier that evening, a forum arranged by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre discussed the stigma of sleeping rough and the importance of home.

One day earlier, Newtown’s Lynn Segal and her dog Jasper were volunteered to us by Airbnb: “with a low amount of superannuation, Ms Segal said her finances looked grim when she turned 60… Ms Segal does not want to share her home with a housemate on a more permanent basis: "I wouldn't make as much money."”

Mysteriously missing from the scene was Ms Segal’s Airbnb ‘co-host’ Crain Cranko. Ms Segal and Mr Cranko look set to earn $121,524.00 per year from their Airbnb rentals. Consider also: the first of their properties in Don Street Newtown has a calculated estimated value of $1,841,436.00. The second in Station Street has an estimated value of $1,271,813.00. Total worth: $3,113,249.00.

It is impossible for us, given the desperate living conditions of the brave women who spoke on this week’s Insights, to believe Airbnb’s claim that they are an "economic lifeline for landlords such as Ms Segal, who credits the home-sharing website with helping her afford to stay in her Newtown terrace”.

Homes not Hotels Communities not Transit Zones People before Profits

Neighbours not Strangers