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 commitment on public housing in Redfern-Waterloo have been
expressed very clearly. They are:
• 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
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.