More than 100 retail, fast-food and warehouse workers gathered in Newcastle this week to launch a campaign calling for urgent action on the region’s housing crisis.

The crusade, A fair go starts with a home, is being coordinated by the SDA Newcastle and Northern Branch.

It calls for more social housing, genuinely affordable homes for low-paid workers and faster delivery of housing developments.

Among those backing the campaign is Leigh, a local retail employee whose children are once again facing the uncertainty of the rental market.

Leigh’s former partner is currently searching for a new home for herself and their two children, aged 10 and 15, after their landlord decided to move back into the property they rent in Lake Macquarie.

“It was so stressful to not know if they were going to have a roof over their head,” he said.

The family has been through the same experience before.

Within six months of their separation five years ago, their landlord at the time put their rental home on the market.

It took seven weeks for Leigh’s ex-partner to secure another place to live.

“They were applying for five or six houses a week,” he said.

“They were applying for anything, whether it was suitable or not.

“They were even applying for one-bedroom units just to get shelter.”

After two years in their current rental, the cycle has begun again.

The three-bedroom home costs $570 a week, but Leigh said similar properties in the area were now advertised for between $680 and $700 a week.

That’s pushing close to 50% of Leigh’s ex-partner weekly take-home pay.

He believes being a single parent has made it harder to secure a property.

“I’ve always felt like the reason she has had so many applications knocked back is because she’s a single parent,” he said.

“To a landlord that really means a single income.”

Leigh expects the family will likely have to move into a smaller property.

“She is certain she’ll have to go into a two-bedroom house,” he told the Newcastle Weekly.

“My 10-year-old and 15-year-old will almost certainly need to share a bedroom.

“A 15-year-old doesn’t want to share a bedroom at that age.”

The uncertainty has affected daily life for the family.

“She’s reluctant to sign the kids up to sport,” Leigh said.

“The problem isn’t moving.

“It’s not knowing where you are going to move to.”

SDA Newcastle and Northern Branch secretary David Bliss said Leigh’s experience reflected the pressure many essential workers were facing across the region.

“They keep Newcastle, the Hunter and the Central Coast running, but many can’t afford to live here,” he explained.

“Rents are soaring, home ownership is out of reach and social housing waitlists stretch for years.”

The union’s campaign is calling on the NSW Government to deliver more social housing in the region.

This includes part of the proposed Broadmeadow redevelopment and ensuring faster delivery of affordable homes for low-paid workers.

Mr Bliss said the region must receive its fair share of the $6.6 billion committed by the NSW Government to address the accommodation crisis.

As part of the campaign, the union is encouraging workers experiencing housing stress to share their stories and contact their local MPs.

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