LEADERS from the housing and community sector have called for social housing to be prioritised in tomorrow’s (February 9) ACT Budget. 

The calls were made in a letter to Housing Minister Yvette Berry signed by the Community Housing Industry Association ACT (CHIA), ACT Shelter and the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS).

Together, the organisations highlighted concerning trends revealed in last month’s Productivity Commission Report on Government Services (ROGS) such as persistent overcrowding in public housing dwellings, a significant increase in the turn-around time for public housing occupancy (tenants are waiting on average 81 days to move into a vacant property), and growing numbers of people on the public housing waiting list, including the addition of almost 200 people assessed as being in the greatest need.

These trends were compounded by an overall reduction in public housing dwellings since 2011, even though between June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2020 the ACT saw an 18 per cent increase in population, the letter highlighted.

The ROGS report also showed that the number of public housing dwellings decreased from 11,063 to 10,985 in the same period.

ACTCOSS CEO Dr Emma Campbell said the aggregate data from ROGS confirms the information that community services hear regularly from Canberrans accessing services.

“This includes reports of women and children escaping domestic violence unable to secure appropriate accommodation, increasing levels of dissatisfaction with public housing, and older Canberrans facing homelessness,” she said.

“The ACT is facing an ongoing housing crisis. We are calling on the ACT government to match its significant investments in infrastructure projects, such as light rail and renewable energy, with similar investments in social housing.”

CHIA chairperson Andrew Hannan said the ACT has the lowest rate of community housing as a proportion of all social housing of any state of territory.

“Our community housing provider member organisations call for innovative policies, matched by serious investment, to unlock their ability to build more homes for Canberrans on low incomes,” he said.