The RWA, in partnership with the Department of Housing,
proposes to commence detailed research in 2006 on the options that may exist
for revitalisation of existing public housing stock and the opportunities that
this may create to enhance the availability of affordable housing in
Redfern-Waterloo.
Any proposals to revitalise public housing will be the
subject of extensive community consultation, including during the concept
formulation phase.
The NSW Government’s commitments on public housing in
Redfern-Waterloo has been expressed very clearly-
- there
will be no cuts to the amount of public housing - current
residents will not be disadvantaged - all
public tenancies are secure.
Any work that the RWA undertakes on public housing as part
of the proposed Stage Two of the Built Environment Plan will be subject to the
Government’s firm guarantees and commitments to public housing tenants.
Public housing comprises 50 percent of the housing stock in
the Redfern-Waterloo area and accounts for 35 percent of the residents.
Conventional wisdom these days does not support
concentration of public housing. This is particularly so in the
Redfern-Waterloo context, where the original concentration of low-income people
in public housing, many of whom are tenants with disabilities or complex needs,
has occurred in conjunction with a declining overall residential base. The
social and economic sustainability of the area has been impacted as a
consequence of the changing demography.
The Redfern-Waterloo Authority Act 2004 stipulates that the
RWA should provide and promote housing choices in its operational area
(including for Aboriginal residents). The Act also provides that the
Redfern-Waterloo Plan may, in part, make provision for the maintenance of a
social mix of income levels, household types and cultural groupings, as well as
for the provision of affordable housing for owners and tenants (including
publicly funded housing).
The primary focus of the proposed Stage Two of the Built
Environment Plan will accordingly be the development of proposals to:
- revitalise
public housing stock - improve
the associated public domain - reduce
concentration of public housing - increase
the local population to establish a more sustainable social mix - facilitate
the provision of affordable housing, including a shared equity model of
home ownership.