Making the future of social housing fairer and better

by

Link to the Report: Social
Housing in NSW: a discussion paper for input and comment (PDF)

Media
Release: Making the future of social housing fairer and better

The NSW Government has released
a major discussion paper to examine options to deliver improvements to the
social housing system.

Family and Community Services
Minister Gabrielle Upton today unveiled Social Housing in NSW: A discussion
paper for input and comment, an analysis to guide future directions in social
housing.

“This paper is based on three
guiding pillars: a social housing system that provides opportunity and pathways
for client independence; a social housing system that is fair; and a social
housing system that is sustainable.

“The Liberals Nationals
Government was left with a massive maintenance backlog, an unfair system and
housing properties that are often not fit for purpose.

“In response we have made
waiting lists transparent, run amnesties on income and assets to make sure
people are paying their fair share and implemented a vacant bedroom charge to
make the best use of large properties.

“Selling multi-million dollar
public housing properties with harbour views at Millers Point also demonstrates
we are willing to make the right decisions to make a fairer system.

“One of the main objectives of
this government is protecting the vulnerable in our community, which is why we
are determined to make improvements to the social housing system.

“As a Government also we are
very conscious that some people in public housing will need that assistance for
life due to their health, age or circumstance and we will continue to provide
for them.

“The simple truth is that the
system has failed to keep pace with increased demand and changing
demographics,” Ms Upton said.

“A system exclusively designed
around the needs of working families is no longer relevant to today’s needs.

“The average tenure of clients
in social housing is lengthening, while exit rates are dropping. There is a
greater demand for single person dwellings, while much of our stock is built
for families.

“A system that was designed as a
medium-term solution for vulnerable people in need of housing has morphed into
a long-term, even intergenerational one.

“We must accept that, despite
the best of intentions, the current system fails tenants by unwittingly
contributing to an environment of social housing dependency.

“I encourage everyone to make
their views heard and take part in the discussion so we can get the best
outcome for those who need it most.

In addition to the release of
the Discussion Paper, the NSW Government is today releasing Request for
Expressions of Interest for the Social Housing component of the Premier’s
Innovation Initiative.

Ms Upton said, “The Premier’s
Innovation Initiative seeks to uncover the best cutting-edge ideas from the non
government and the private sectors to drive innovation in social housing that
can help deliver better economic and social outcomes.”

These solutions may include
proposals such as regional and rural communities, new financing models to
support the development of social housing or tailored solutions that provide
support for complex needs clients.

Submissions on the Discussion
Paper are open until 20 February 2015. Anyone seeking more detailed information
on how to get involved can find the discussion paper at www.facs.nsw.gov.au or
lodge a submission in one of the following ways:

Writing to the following
address:

Social Housing Policy Team
Department of Family and Community Services
Locked Bag 3002
Australia Square NSW 1215.

The Request for Expression of
Interest under the Premiers Innovation Initiative can be found at www.nsw.gov.au/innovate.

Source: Media Release: Making
the future of social housing fairer and better

FaCS
Webpage on Social Housing in NSW

Currently the NSW social housing
system faces many challenges – funding is decreasing, operating costs are
rising and homes are ageing. This makes it difficult to maintain existing
properties as well as to build more homes to meet the increasing demand for
housing assistance.

To make sure that the social
housing system continues to provide a much-needed safety net into the future,
the NSW Government is asking the community to provide innovative ideas to
reform the system.

To facilitate the conversation,
the NSW Government has released a paper, Social
Housing in NSW: a discussion paper for input and comment (PDF), which
proposes reform around three main pillars:

Pillar 1: A social housing
system that provides opportunity and pathways for client independence.

The current approach to social
housing assistance does not encourage or support greater social and economic
independence. Social housing has the potential to provide pathways to better
education, training and health for vulnerable people, to help them successfully
move from social housing into the private rental market.

Pillar 2: A social housing
system that is fair.

The social housing system should
target for those who need it most.

Increasingly social housing
supports vulnerable people who cannot access low-cost housing in the private
market and those who do not have enough income or retirement savings.

In a fair system, appropriately
targeted assistance would be provided to clients, only when it is needed.
Providing long-term assistance to people with short-term needs reduces the
system’s capacity to assist more people.

Pillar 3: A social housing
system that is sustainable.

A social housing system that is
sustainable is one that provides appropriate housing assistance to vulnerable
people now and into the future.

It provides housing assistance
that meets people’s needs over time and is delivered through a range of
providers and services.

The system also needs to be
financially viable. This means a system in which the stock of housing meets
requirements, is adequately maintained over time and efficiently managed within
the Government existing funding envelope.        

How to have your say

Social Housing in NSW: a
discussion paper for input and comment poses three questions around each of
the three reform pillars. We invite submissions responding to each of these
three question.

Submissions may be made by:

Social Housing Policy Team
Department of Family and Community Services
Locked Bag 3002
Australia Square NSW 1215

Feedback must be received by
close of business on 20 February 2015.

Public forums

FACS will host forums across NSW
to give people the chance to have input into the reforms. A schedule of forums
will soon be uploaded on this webpage.

Source: Webpage: FaCS Webpage on
Social Housing Discussion Paper