Local community housing provider Home in Place says the NSW Budget is a mixed bag and a missed opportunity in relation to housing.
Business and public affairs manager Martin Kennedy said the $2.2B Housing and Infrastructure Plan and the $224M Essential Housing Package was a start but wouldn’t deliver many social housing and affordable housing homes for the Central Coast.
“It is good to see the housing crisis and shortfall of homes recognised as a major issue for people and communities in the Budget,” Kennedy said.
“Most of the funding announced is for infrastructure to support the construction of housing – things like roads, parks, hospitals and schools across Sydney, the Central Coast and Lower Hunter.
“This is an important first step but means there is little funding to get homes built.
“There is some funding for maintenance of social housing properties and housing support for people experiencing homelessness.
“The government’s focus is relying on construction led by the private sector.
“Governments need to see funding for building social and affordable housing as an investment in vital infrastructure rather than a budget cost.”
Kennedy said that addressing the housing crisis now seemed beyond any single state government.
He said Federal Government support was critical.
“The establishment of the Housing Australia Future Fund at the federal level is a step in the right direction but also needs to be the start of something bigger,” he said.
“This fund and the NSW Budget will not go anywhere near addressing the shortfall in social and affordable housing, especially with continued high levels of immigration.”
Kennedy said with rental vacancy rates on the Central Coast at just 1.5 per cent, more renters were being forced into social and affordable housing for which there was not enough supply and long waiting lists.
There are already more than 3,300 households on the Central Coast social housing waiting list and 56,000 households on waiting lists statewide.
“There are about 350,000 social housing properties in Australia, just 4.4 per cent of all housing properties,” Kennedy said.
“Analysis of 2021 Census data by the Community Industry Housing Association estimates Australia’s current shortfall of social housing properties to be 640,000 with 135,000 of those in NSW.
“More direct investment by government is needed.
“There was a time when governments in Australia built around 25 per cent of all new homes.
“This figure has fallen to roughly two per cent.”
Kennedy said community housing providers such as Home in Place were ready to work with government to get more housing built as they have successfully done in the past.
“A crisis of this magnitude needs everyone working together to get housing built as quickly as possible,” he said.
Home in Place is a not-for-profit community housing provider which manages more than 6,600 social and affordable housing homes across the Central Coast and other parts of NSW.
Source:
Home in Place