The not-for-profit organisation Social Futures, which delivers the NDIS and StandBy support programs on the Central Coast, says two new reports highlight an ever-growing housing crisis Australia-wide and has come up with six steps towards finding a solution.
The Ending Homelessness in Australia: An Evidence and Policy Deep Dive report is based on the largest survey of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in a decade – 20,953 respondents.
Social Futures CEO Tony Davies says the report found that the average period of homelessness was 3.8 years for individuals and 1.9 years for families.
“The Ending Homelessness report also found that people experiencing homelessness were more likely to suffer from ill health with their rates of asthma, liver disease, dehydration, hepatitis, heart disease and diabetes higher than the general population,” Davies says.
“Homelessness takes a huge toll on people’s physical and mental wellbeing, and depletes the whole community – it impacts children, older people and families.
“No one is immune from homelessness.”
Davies says the Productivity Commission’s new Report on Government Services found that more Australians are being pushed towards poverty and homelessness.
“According to that report close to half of all people who needed help with homelessness last year in NSW did not get it,” he says.
“Women and children are extremely likely to be among those needing homelessness supports; almost 40 per cent of people contacting services had experienced domestic and family violence.”
Social Futures is calling on local, state and federal governments to deliver more investment in social housing, targeted to areas with acute housing shortages.
It wants state planning and land tax rules amended to create incentives for affordable housing to be included in new developments.
Another of the six steps is to reform NSW tenancy laws and regulations to remove no-grounds terminations, ensure rent increases are proportionate and fair and encourage longer-term leases.
It wants to see social and affordable housing delivery prioritised on appropriate unused government land; and it is calling for the creation of a housing innovation fund to support not-for-profit organisations to deliver social housing and for increased funding for homelessness support organisations.
Source:
Media release, Feb 14
Social Futures
The NSW State Government could address affordable housing by introducing a planning instrument that recognises affordable housing (particularly build to rent)as a permitted land use across all zones. Eco villages, co-housing and tiny house villages could be incorporated into this new planning instrument. Central Coast Council (and other Councils)advocate for affordable housing, but archaic planning laws do the reverse. Affordable housing is a national emergency.