Tenants advisory service funding extended for a year

Central Coast Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service has been funded for an extra year

Labor MPs on the Central Coast have welcomed the news that the Central Coast Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service (CCTAAS) has secured ongoing funding for a further 12 months.

The funding was due to expire on June 30, 2022, but MPs David Harris (Wyong), David Mehan (The Entrance, Yasmin Catley (Swansea) and Liesl Tesch (Gosford) say they lobbied the State Government to ensure the essential service would not be left without funding.

“CCTAAS is a respected and highly sought after local social service that has been providing assistance to the Central Coast community for 22 years,” the MPs said in a joint statement.

“TAAS services in our community significantly helps to prevent tenant evictions through early intervention and assistance.

“Given the rental crisis we are facing, the demand for this service is increasing and never more important for our community.”

Harris said the CCTAAS is being relied upon by many tenants facing an uncertain future due to rental stress and market pressures.

“Securing funding is vital to support particularly vulnerable people in our community,” he said.

Catley said the service was especially vital in the midst of the current housing crisis.

“The delay in providing certainty over the funding of the service was unnecessary and I am pleased the Minister has now acted to extend the funding for a further 12 months,” she said.

“This will allow the service to provide certainty to its staff over their future.”

Mehan said the funding was “imperative” to ensure continuation of the service, which he said was “needed now more than ever”.

Tesch said the support CCTAAS provides to tenants is currently protecting many people on the verge of homelessness.

A CCTAAS spokesperson said the service welcomed the funding extension.

“The extension period allows all the services under the program across NSW the opportunity to provide submissions on the effectiveness and benefits of the Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Program,” the spokesperson said.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said he was thrilled at the extension of funding.

“$13.9M will be provided to Central Coast Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services to continue to provide their vital services to our community,” he said.

The program is one of five to be extended under the State Government’s Community Grants Programs.

 Also to be extended for 132 months are: the $9.6M Financial Counselling Services Program; the $1.1M Aged Care Supported Accommodation Service Program; the $320,000 Home Building Advocacy Service Program; and the $500,000 Strata Collective Sales Advocacy Service Program.

Terry Collins