Hundreds of Australian families are signing up to house some of the thousands of international students expected to face financial hardship and homelessness due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A discounted, short-term homestay accommodation scheme for students has just started in anticipation of tough times ahead, underwritten by crisis funds from governments and educational institutions.
There are hundreds of thousands of international students in Australia, contributing almost $40 billion a year to the economy. But with the economy in hibernation due to the global pandemic, many have lost their jobs.
Despite having paid taxes, they are not eligible for federal government support packages and currently have few ways of getting home.
Former school teacher Rosemaree Gould has opened her door to international homestay students for 30 years and feels it is her duty to help now.
“It feels quite natural to me and we have to, it’s the community spirit to help out,” she said.
She has two spare bedrooms in her house in the Brisbane suburb of Stafford.
“We need to do it, we’d do it for nothing. Even with your whole host money, you don’t actually make money out of it,” she said.
Ms Gould decided to act when Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced COVID-19 JobKeeper and JobSeeker support packages in April that excluded many temporary visa holders.
Maree Gould has welcomed students for 30 years and feels it is her duty to help out now. Source: Stefan Armbruster/SBS News
“In particular international students … if they’re not in a position to support themselves then there is the alternative for them to return to their home countries,” Mr Morrison told a press conference on 3 April.
“At this time, Australia must focus on its citizens and its residents to ensure that we can maximise the economic supports that we have.”
Ms Gould signed on with Australian Homestay Network (AHN), the country’s largest independent provider, to take students in need.
“(Mr Morrison) said something like, 'they need to go home',” Ms Gould said.
“I couldn’t understand where that was coming from, because they’re part of, they’re established in our community already and some been here three or four years.”
Under AHN’s placements, hosts will receive $120 per week, paid for with crisis funds. The usual rate is just over $300, paid in full by the students.
“We’re just making our first placements now, but over the next few months the industry is predicting thousands, and that would be across Australia,” said David Bycroft, founder and director of AHN.
“We did it eight years ago as asylum seekers were released from detention, and that was very successful for us, so we thought, ‘Why don’t we do that again?’.
AHN is only considering students facing hardship and referred by the government or their educational provider.
“I think he (Mr Morrison) probably regrets making that statement because the industry and the other government departments are working really hard to provide hardship funds for international students.”
His company will get a management fee of about $40 a week to cover placement, insurances and 24-hour student support.
Australian Homestay Network founder David Bycroft says thousands of overseas students will need help. Source: Stefan Armbruster/SBS News
Inspired to help
A first-time homestay host is Sarahjane Robertson, a solicitor and former police officer, in the Brisbane suburb of Murrarrie.
She was inspired to help after the feeling of helplessness when her daughter moved out of home to Canberra last year on the day it was hit by a massive hailstorm, which left her new home uninhabitable.
“Students have got parents overseas and they can’t do anything. I have two spare rooms so why not?,” Ms Robertson said.
“There is only so much the government can do, and where there’s a gap, there’s an opportunity for the community to step up and help. That’s reflective of ‘we are in this together’.”
She is not concerned the discounted rate will barely cover costs.
“It depends on why you’re doing it. Extra money would be great, but these are people in desperate situations, so the money isn’t really part of it," she said.
AHN has placed over 50,000 students since it began operating 12 years ago.
“The difficulty with the unis, the state and federal government hardship funds, is making sure they are well spent,” Mr Bycroft at AHN said.
“The best solutions is to offer students a comfortable home with someone who looks after them, cares for them, feeds them for a very low cost.
“We’ve had over 100 student applications, and over 500 Australians say they’d like to be part of it."
All the homestay students will have been in Australia for months, so the coronavirus infection risk is no different to taking any other tenant.
“Some people are shocked that we bring people into the house but if we practice good hygiene, we’re not worried at all,” Ms Gould said.
“I do like the security and comfort of having a network behind me, I would’t take people off the street.
"There’s a vetting process for the hosts and the students, so the students get to select us from our profiles, which is great. And AHN support us and the students, so I have no qualms at all.”
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store. SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments.
