Housing and homelessness dominates social sector agenda

As federal parliament resumes this week, not-for-profit organisations are moving to try to alleviate homelessness and asking the government to intervene in the housing crisis. 

Housing and homelessness continue to dominate the for-purpose sector’s agenda as politicians gather in Canberra for the first time this year.

As Australia awaits Albo’s May budget and what that will mean for housing, advocates are beginning to make their demands clear with a raft of announcements in recent weeks putting pressure on the government to act on rents, housing and homelessness.

Services at risk of funding cut

Q Shelter has come out swinging against potential cuts to the Social and Community Services (SACS) Employment Remuneration Order (ERO) supplementation payment.

In a statement, Q Shelter expressed its dismay at the possibility that the federal government would roll over the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) for another 12 months without this payment.

Q Shelter’s executive director, Fiona Caniglia, said the shortfall for homelessness services resulting from the removal of this payment could be as high as $68 million over five years.

“That’s a significant amount for services already struggling to meet demand,” she said.

“According to the Australian Services Union and Homelessness Australia estimates back in 2021, the shortfall would be equivalent to the loss of 114 frontline non-government workers in Queensland, mainly in the specialist homelessness services. This is just not sustainable for these services.”

It comes as the sector faces a high level of demand, with homelessness services in Queensland struggling to keep up.

“This is not the time to reduce the number of people at the front line,” Caniglia said.

Q Shelter is calling for the NHHA to cover the higher wages mandated by the Fair Work Commission, to prevent workers from losing their jobs and services from being cut. 

Q Shelter intends to write to the federal government seeking urgent action.

National funding for Tasmanian social houses

Tasmania is set to get more social and affordable housing thanks to a cash injection from the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC).

The NHFIC will provide around $33 million in financing to help Housing Choices Tasmania (HCT) to deliver up to 181 social and affordable houses, suitable for a range of residents including people with mobility issues.

The loan will support the state government’s Community Housing Growth Program — New Social Housing Support program (CHGP), to build 1000 social houses by the end of the year.

HCT will receive up to $31 million in loans and $1.92 million in grants. $8 million of the funds will be dedicated to constructing support roads and services infrastructure at eight development sites. 

“We’re thrilled to be able to deliver this sizeable package to support the Tasmanian Government’s ambitious CHGP, working closely with our CHP partner Housing Choices Tasmania,” said NHFIC CEO Nathan Dal Bon.

“Given the acute housing challenges in Tasmania, it is pleasing to leverage both our bond aggregator and infrastructure facility to ensure more social housing is built and brought to market sooner.”

Housing Choices Australia’s Managing Director Michael Lennon said, the organisation was very pleased to have finalised an agreement between the Tasmanian Government, HCT and the NHFIC.

“The partnership with NHFIC has provided us with stable, long term financing that allows us to substantially expand our housing supply to Tasmanians locked out of home ownership and private rental. And we are very pleased to be building on our strong relationship with the Tasmanian Government and NHFIC to help meet the ever-increasing demand,” he said.

See more: Government, sector collaborates on SA social and affordable housing

Advocates critical of NSW government response to homelessness inquiry

The New South Wales government has responded to an inquiry into homelessness in older people.

Last week, it released its response to the Homelessness amongst older people aged over 55 in New South Wales inquiry.

The government supported just nine of the report’s 40 recommendations.

A key recommendation to “investigate the costs and implications of lowering the age limit for access to the Housing Elderly Persons priority group from 80 years to 55 years, and from 55 years to 45 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”, was merely “noted”.

The government responded that “changes to the eligibility criteria to preference one group must be carefully assessed to ensure they do not inadvertently discriminate against other vulnerable groups”.

Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) executive officer Fiona York said the government’s response is a missed opportunity to address the growing number of older people in New South Wales falling into homelessness.  

“The NSW Government doesn’t believe that a 79-year-old woman in housing crisis deserves a spot on the priority housing list,” York said.

“This decision comes at a time when it routinely takes longer than five years, and often more than 10 years, for people on social housing waitlists in New South Wales to get a home.

“We’re shocked that after the Inquiry found that older people in housing crisis were slipping through the cracks, the government would not support the Inquiry’s recommendations to provide them with additional help.”

The government provided “in principle” support to a recommendation to fund “new social or community housing that is specifically allocated to older women and is appropriate to their health, safety and accessibility needs”, again citing “inadvertently [making] housing unsuitable for other vulnerable groups”.

In response to a recommendation that the state government urge its federal counterpart to incorporate Housing First principles in its approach to end homelessness, the NSW government said it would “advocate for the inclusion of best practice approaches to homelessness in the Commonwealth’s planned National Housing and Homelessness Plan”.

Victorian housing stress mapped

The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) in Victoria has unveiled a map of the areas of the state suffering the most from housing stress.

An analysis by CHIA and the UNSW City Futures Research Centre, based on Census data, found six per cent of households in Melbourne and 5.7 per cent in regional Victoria don’t have appropriate housing, meaning residents are experiencing homelessness, living in overcrowded homes or are in rental stress.

The worst affected area was Melbourne’s west, followed by the north west and south east of Melbourne. In regional Victoria, Ballarat and Shepparton were the worst affected areas.

CHIA Victoria acting CEO Jess Pomeroy said the report highlights the urgent need for more social housing in Victoria. 

“Victoria has the lowest proportion of social housing in the country. We urgently need governments to provide a clear, long-term funding pipeline for social and affordable housing beyond the Big Housing Build,” she said.

“The Victorian Government can help achieve this by spending $6 billion on 20,000 social homes over the next decade.

“It can also leave a 2026 Commonwealth Games legacy by working with not-for-profit community housing organisations to ensure the athletes’ villages are fit for long-term social and affordable housing.”

See more: Advocates push for Brisbane Olympics social impact gold

Homelessness Australia sounds alarm over rents

National advocacy group Homelessness Australia has expressed its alarm at the sharp increase in rents around Australia.

Figures released last month revealed a record high in national annual rent growth with values up 10.2 per cent in the year to December.

Homelessness Australia chief executive, Kate Colvin, said the numbers underscore the pressure placed on many vulnerable renters.

“The latest annual rent growth adds to what was already an unaffordable rental market. These figures are alarming and further proof that more Australians are doing it tough, plunging deeper, or for the first time, into housing stress and poverty,” she said.

“Housing stress is the fastest growing cause of homelessness and services are being smashed with people seeking help because they can’t afford a roof over their heads.

“Renters can’t wait years for action. The next Budget needs to include immediate relief by increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance and delivering a much bigger commitment to social housing.”