Social Housing Policy
Less Cruelty and neglect for disadvantaged people with accommodation needs
What: The ACT Labour/Greens Government have let disadvantaged people down. We need to double new social housing and we need to do that sooner than planned.
Why: According to the Auditor General’s scathing report the demand now for public houses is over 3000 and there is a three year wait. The Government’s Program was planned to take eight years to deliver 1,400 new or renewed public housing homes from 2018, at a cost of approximately $860 million. However this will not result in a real increase due to population growth according to the report.
Canberrans living on low incomes can be significantly disadvantaged in accessing housing in this high cost jurisdiction. There are 10,800 public houses and 840 community houses owned by the ACT Government. The number of households registered and waiting for public housing on Housing ACT’s Housing Register has increased from 1,759 on 30 June 2018 to 3,149 on 4 December 2023 (an increase of 80 percent) of which 2,035 applications for high needs housing are waiting over 3 years. This is totally unsatisfactory. The number of homes per estimated resident population is decreasing.
In 2022-23, 569 of women and children were in housing situations that are forms of homelessness. Of these: 33 were sleeping rough or in a car, 414 were in short term or temporary accommodation, and 117 were couch surfing. There is obviously insufficient accommodation.
How: We need to refresh/replace existing old public housing stock while respecting existing tenants. More affordable housing is also needed so that people can transition from public housing. We also need to provide more emergency accommodation and support for those escaping domestic violence and provide basic necessities to rough sleepers.
We need to remove the barriers to building and fund this properly. We also need to remove the barriers to building community housing. According to David Pocock we are not maximising the use of the Housing Australia Future Fund (Commonwealth Government Fund). Apparently the use of this fund is ‘“abysmal” because the ACT Government did not yet have a plan for sufficient land releases or concessional deals with land prices and rates’.
In our Industry Policy we talk about encouraging high quality manufactured housing. This could help deliver public housing dwellings.
We need to increase funding for homelessness services and provide mobile vans for the rough sleepers that have shower facilities, clothes washing facilities and provide food.
But: Doesn't this cost too much? The lack of basic necessities i.e. not having a roof over one’s head, can lead to significant mental health problems, unemployment and low productivity which if avoided in the first place more than compensates for the cost of prevention.
References:
ACT Auditor-General’s Performance Audit Report: Management of the Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program, Report No. 3 / 2024
Homelessness and domestic and family violence: State of Response Report 2024
Canberra Times “ ACT public housing stock declines to lowest level in a decade” 25 Jan 2023
Canberra Times “ The ACT’s public housing debacle no surprise” 10 May 2024