Author Archives: chia_adm

Less than 7% of WA State Government’s 35,000 new affordable housing opportunities by 2020 will be social housing

News Western Australia No Comments

MEDIA RELEASE

Tuesday, 6 August 2019

Jennie Vartan, State Manager for the Community Housing Industry Association WA, the peak industry body for community housing providers in WA, today warned that successive State Government’s affordable housing strategies have fallen worryingly short in terms of social housing delivery. Ms. Vartan is today launching a new CHIA WA publication, ‘West Australian Housing Policy: Where to from here?’ which analyses State policy during the last decade and suggests a new approach.

“There has been almost a decade of bipartisan political support for an affordable housing strategy which has put affordable home ownership initiatives like Keystart front and centre while failing to address how to grow and develop the social housing system. This is problematic for several reasons but the most important one is that social housing is the area where community need is greatest with State and Federal Government’s bearing ultimate responsibility for ensuring that there is enough housing stock to prevent households at the margins falling into homelessness.” said Ms. Vartan.

“Since 2011, the social housing system has only increased in size by 2,241 dwellings with much of that increase attributable to the one-off State and Federal social housing stimulus undertaken in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. In 2020, a decade of affordable housing policy in WA will have produced less than 7% of the headline affordable housing target of 35,000 dwellings. There are certainly funding constraints but the failure of successive State Governments to harness the growth building capacity of the State’s community housing sector – in contrast to the approach in other states – significantly detracts from progress made in other areas” continued Ms. Vartan.

“CHIA WA understands that the State Government is currently developing an affordable housing strategy for the next decade, 2020 to 2030. The publication we are launching today contains recommendations and advice regarding how the State Government ought to refine and improve its approach. Central to that approach must be that any newly constructed public housing properties are transferred to community housing providers who have the wherewithal to leverage those properties and build more for people in need. Housing academics have been relentless in their warnings that social housing stock levels are dangerously low nationwide. In the face of rising demand as the population grows and ages, it is time that the WA State Government develops a singular focus on addressing that problem” said Ms. Vartan.

Quick Facts:
1. Public housing numbers have decreased by 547 dwellings from June 2011 to June 2018.
2. Community housing numbers have increased by 2,788 dwellings from 5,274 in June 2011 to 8,062 in June 2018.
3. Total social housing numbers (sum of public and community) have risen by 2,241 since June 2011.
4. Between 2010 and 2017, 2,020 public housing dwellings were either sold or demolished by the State Government.
5. In 1991, 7.1% of all dwellings in Australia were in the social and affordable housing system compared to 4.4% today.
6. The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) estimate that the WA social housing system will need to grow to 86,500 homes by 2036 to meet total need. To achieve that target the social housing system will have to retain the stock it already has and increase in size by over 2,500 dwellings a year to 2036.

ENDS
For further information, please contact Jennie Vartan, CHIA WA State Manager on 0409 889 437

Successful NRSCH registration for the first Sydney Metropolitan Aboriginal Housing Corporation

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NAIDOC Week in Sydney also showcased the historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Tharawal Housing Aboriginal Corporation and Hume Community Housing. This significant event in the changing landscape for registered Aboriginal community housing providers in Metropolitan Sydney and NSW followed the successful registration of Tharawal Housing Aboriginal Corporation under the National Regulatory System on 14 June 2019 as a tier 3 provider.

The Aboriginal housing organisation is based in south west Sydney and is part of the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation which includes the highly regarded Tharawal Corporation Aboriginal Medical Services. Tharawal has been operating for 30 years, providing specialist health care and well-being services and homeless and transitional housing support for its community. In 2019 the National Close the Gap Day was held at Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation in partnership with South Western Sydney health.

Tharawal Housing’s Chief Executive, Darryl Wright, has worked with the Corporation for 16 years and in 2018 was awarded the Order of Australia to acknowledge him as an outstanding member of the Macarthur community, the Indigenous community and the Australian community. Alison Croall, General Manager and Karen Fischer, Housing and Compliance Manager complete the highly skilled and experienced executive team at Tharawal Housing Aboriginal Corporation.

Tharawal will work closely with the Aboriginal Housing Office to secure transfers of properties whose tenure is up for renewal. Tharawal’s strategic alliance with Hume Community Housing is principally to provide outsourced maintenance services and has been supported through registration by John Stott of the Housing Action Network.

Not-for-profit Community Housing Providers could inject some oomph into the Build to Rent model

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The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) today welcomed the publication of Build-to-Rent in Australia: Product feasibility and potential affordable housing contribution, a report prepared for the NSW Government by UNSW City Futures and Macquarie University.

https://cityfutures.be.unsw.edu.au/documents/551/LCOM_0000_Build_to_Rent_Report_WEB_July_2019.pdf

After considerable debate and discussion about, but not much action taken on the build to rent model, this report gets to the guts of what needs to be done to make the model fly.

Wendy Hayhurst, CEO at CHIA, the peak body for Australia’s not-for-profit community housing industry, said “While the Government’s commitment to helping people make the step into home ownership is a positive, there are many hard working, lower paid Australians for whom this remains a longer term dream, so more high quality secure and affordable rental accommodation is very much needed.”

The report is positive about the benefits to be gained from a thriving build to rent sector – its contribution to housing diversity, the likelihood that construction standards will be driven upwards and its potential to counter the troughs in the market. It also makes clear what needs to be done if both ‘market’ build to rent and more importantly an affordable rental component are to be secured. As well as levelling the playing field with other ‘market players’ on ‘development taxes and ongoing levies’, to get the all-important affordable element, governments need to provide some additional support.

Critically, the report also demonstrates the advantage of using not-for-profit community housing providers to deliver the housing.

John Nicolades, CEO of Bridge Housing which operates across Sydney explained why. “As charitable entities we benefit from tax concessions which reduce our development costs. We also don’t need to take money out of our business to pay shareholders. So if we developed a build to rent block with both market and affordable rental homes we could use the profit from the market rented properties to help fund the affordable homes.”

Andrew Hannan, CEO at CHC, the largest community housing provider in the ACT and one of the major not-for-profit developers in the industry, added “The report also demonstrates the difference discounted land could make to project viability, a point we make in CHIA’s National Plan for Affordable Housing. Our industry was very pleased that the Housing Minister Michael Sukkar in one of his first statements recognised that government land contributions could help us secure affordable housing.”

With the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation (NHFIC) also providing low cost, long term loans to community housing providers, supporting CHPs to deliver build to rent must be a no-brainer.

Contact: Wendy Hayhurst 0421 046 832

ATO Long Term Accommodation Market Rent Benchmarks updated 1 July 2019

Western Australia No Comments

The ATO has updated its benchmark market value rents with effect from 1 July 2019

 

Both the Transitional and the Detailed benchmarks have changed.

The Transitional benchmarks have decreased substantially.

If you are using the benchmarks, it is important that you review your rent setting policy in light of the changes.

CHIA WA’s Rent Calculator has been updated to include the new benchmarks and can be downloaded from the Resources section of our website.

CHIA WA Members can also download an updated ATO Benchmarks Factsheet from the Resources section of our website.

The Factsheet includes graphs giving an easy comparison between the Transitional and Detailed benchmarks by region.

 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact

Jennie Vartan 0409 889 437
[email protected]

www.communityhousing.com.au/chia-wa

NHFIC Capacity Building Program Consultant Panel Goes Live

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Following lively briefings in five state and territory capitals cities the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) today takes the next step to enable the professional advisory service grants program to go live, by publishing the list of consultants approved for panel membership.
We received tremendous interest from a wide range of organisations – large and small and from across the country. What they all share is a track record of successful project delivery, knowledge about the community housing industry, demonstrable value for money and skills and expertise in at least one of the following – financial planning, risk management, business planning and development services.

James Kennedy, Senior Director, Strategic Consulting at JLL is one of the successful panellists and said, ‘JLL is excited to deliver professional property services to CHIA, NHFIC and the community housing sector in this crucial initiative. JLL has the depth and breadth of expertise in social and community housing, coupled with a leading position supporting financial institutions’ credit and risk deliberations, to drive tangible results for the sector.’

Over at BlueCHP another panellist Charles Northcote was also enthusiastic ‘ BlueCHP is excited for the opportunity to assist CHPs navigate and access the NHFIC. As we are currently benefiting from savings of a million dollars per annum having secured NHFIC finance of $70m, BlueCHP is well positioned to assist CHPs through this process by providing Finance, Business Planning and Property Development consultancy services to achieve NHFIC funding. BlueCHP applauds the NHFIC and CHIA teams for this initiative and looks forward to assisting CHP’s increase housing services and develop much-needed housing.”

Grants will be available to smaller registered community housing organisations (registered as tier 2 or 3 in the National Regulatory System and in WA or housing providers in Victoria) that are referred to CHIA by NHFIC. The grants will cover assistance to the CHOs in one or more of the areas mentioned earlier.

The next and final step is opening for business which we anticipate is days away.

List of Consultants
A K Advisory
Affordable Housing Management Fund
BlueCHP
Caldrex Capital
Capetal Advisory
Carrie Hamilton
Dentons Australia
Development Projects
E3 Advisory
Ernst & Young
Gallagher
Grant Thornton
HillPDA Consulting
Hornsby & Co.
Jones Lang La Salle
KPMG
KW Consulting Group
Mihno Group
Morrison Low
Nexia Edwards Marshall
Nous Group
Opteon Solutions
Q Shelter
Questus Funds Management
Quintessential Finance
RAW Business Advisory
Rumbelcon
Social Ventures Australia
Societel Consulting
Solute Consulting
Sphere Company
Strategic Small Business Solutions
Urbanista
Urbis
ZSI

Please visit our website for more information and updates

 

ACT Government commits to community housing sector growth: An analysis of the ACT budget

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The FY20 ACT Government budget makes further commitments to the community housing sector, responding in part to the priority areas put forward by the CHIA ACT Region Committee last October, but the sector continues to wait for past commitments to be implemented.

Identified priority areas that the budget addresses, in part, include:

Large growth in ACT Government’s annual “community housing” targets (minimum of 100), with access to community housing sites by CHPs at a price that enables CHPs to be financially sustainable.

The budget sets a target to release new sites in FY20 to enable CHPs to develop 60 new community housing dwellings. This is an increase on current year commitments to release new sites to enable development of 34 community housing dwellings in FY18 and 20 community housing dwellings in FY19. None of these sites have been made available for CHPs to bid for as yet, and thus the extent of price discounting or other subsidy intended to be provided by the ACT Government is uncertain. CHPs cannot develop and retain community housing dwellings for affordable rent absent a government subsidy.

Inclusionary zoning and other planning incentives for CHPs, or developers in partnership with CHPs e.g. height limits, plot ratio, streamlined approvals, parking

The budget includes a 25% Lease Variation Charge (LVC) remission measure for CHPs to encourage additional affordable rental and purchase opportunities on privately owned land, which has been budgeted to result in a $200,000 annual revenue hit to the ACT Government.

Land tax exemptions for private landlords as well as potential rates concessions conditional upon the management of the properties being outsourced to CHPs for social or affordable rental provision

The budget includes a two year pilot scheme capped at 100 properties to be exempt from land tax, conditional upon the properties being managed by a registered CHP and rented at <75% of market rent to eligible lower income Canberrans. This pilot commenced 1 April 2019 and has been budgeted to result in a $350,000 annual revenue hit to the ACT Government. No rates concessions are provided.

The budget fails to address the other priority area of provision of a rates exemption for CHP-owned social and affordable rental properties, to position CHPs on par with other not-for-profit organisations that provide charitable services other than provision of community housing. Such a measure, if supported by the ACT Government, would save CHPs collectively approximately $1m annually, enabling each to deliver further impact and thus take pressure off ACT Government provided housing and related community services.

In terms of delivering on measures highlighted in the ACT Housing Strategy, the budget does commit to the target of ensuring 15% of all future government land releases are for either public housing, affordable rental housing or affordable purchase opportunities. Disappointingly, the overwhelming weight of properties within the 15% remain on providing affordable purchase opportunities, with less than 10% (less than 1.5% of the total) for affordable rental housing provided by CHPs.

Separate to the above, there are positive measures introduced at the more acute end of the housing spectrum in terms of accommodation and services for the homeless, as well as continued growth of public housing. At the other end of the housing spectrum there are also positive measures in terms of facilitating home ownership for first home buyers.

Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) ACT Region Chair Andrew Hannan says the community housing sector is keen to further engage government as it seeks to implement the measures outlined in the budget and the ACT Housing Strategy, and that the sector would welcome the opportunity to discuss other complementary reforms that may further help lift the supply of affordable housing in a financially sustainable manner. Such measures would enable the government to access the benefits that would flow from leveraging the community housing sector.

‘Canberra is in the midst of a rental affordability crisis, and boasts the highest median rent in the country…with the right ACT Government support the community housing sector has the capacity to more than double its impact over the next 10 years, and through doing so ease the current crisis in which far too many Canberran households are struggling to make ends meet in an overheated private rental market.’

‘Community housing is a proven cost-effective way for State and Territory Governments to deliver affordable housing, but requires an upfront and/or ongoing subsidy to bridge the gap between revenue from the low rent able to be charged to our low-income tenants and the costs of CHPs supplying accommodation,’ Mr Hannan says.

CHIA’s ACT Region Committee member organisations include Argyle, CHC, Catholic Care, Focus ACT, Havelock Housing and Northside Community Services.

 

CHIA ACT Region Chair Andrew Hannan is available for comment on 0404 861 896.­

Fifth Pacific Urban Forum (PUF5)

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The Pacific Urban Forum (PUF) is a regional event that aims to provide a unique and accessible platform for urban stakeholders to debate what creates a sustainable urban future for the region.

The Forum will have a strong focus on arrangements and actions for implementation of the New Urban Agenda and an emphasis on the importance of public, private and civil society cooperation in order to fully achieve the New Urban Agenda.

The Forum also aims to localize and scale up the implementation of the New Urban Agenda as an accelerator to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, highlights adequate housing as first target of the “Urban SDG”:

By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums (SDG 11.1)

The New Urban Agenda is also clear on the right to adequate housing:

  1. We commit ourselves to promoting national, subnational and local housing policies that support the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing for all as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living (NUA);

The Pacific New Urban Agenda lists as the first key action:

Upscaling and embarking on housing and settlement upgrading programmes and improving access to serviced land and housing, including through planned city extensions; building on the approaches developed in the region and global best practices.

There is a Special Session on Affordable Housing in the Pacific which aims to:

  • Provide an update on the discussion on Affordable Housing globally and in the wider region
  • Understand the shared and country specific challenges and issues in providing adequate and affordable housing in the Pacific Region
  • Identify the challenges and opportunities presented by the SDGs and the NUA to mobilise housing solutions at all levels of government and the local/community level
  • Explore models of affordable housing provision, their scalability and replicability in different national contexts
  • Collaboratively develop conclusions and recommendations for inclusion in the Action Plan for the Pacific New Urban Agenda

Representatives from Governments of Fiji and PNG; Un-Habitat, academia from RMIT and Compass Housing will be on this panel.

The Forum will be a good platform for the Australian Housing Sector to have an understanding of the needs, related issues and challenges in providing affordable housing in the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).  In particularly, understanding the context and operating environment around climate and environmental impact and resilience, Informal settlement and land tenure.  The Forum also provides good opportunity to meet and network with the major Government and NGO stakeholders who are interested to engage in providing affordable housing.

Compass is a member of the Steering Committee to organise the Forum.

Please download the PU5 Concept Note here.

Register for the PUF5 event here. 

For any queries on the PUF5, please email or contact Ben Wong, Manager International & Stakeholder Relations at [email protected]  or 0438033801.

Unity Housing: Boarding House Program paving the way for accessible housing for those in need

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Unity Housing, South Australia’s largest community housing provider (CHP), is paving the way for safe and accessible housing through its Boarding House Program.

Boarding houses provide housing for single people experiencing hardships, with a private bedroom and either shared common facilities or en-suite bathrooms. Unity currently manages four different boarding house locations across inner city Adelaide.

The Terrace, is the largest, with 95 rooms for both male and female tenants and is staffed 24/7. Their smaller boarding houses include Citi Hall, Gilles Lodge and Hurtle Square. Prior to Unity managing the boarding houses, they were privately owned and lacked much of the organisation and tenant satisfaction that Unity has brought to the program.

Margot George, is the team leader of Unity’s Board Housing Program. Margot spoke with CHIA about the program and its vital nature for helping people access safe housing.

“I heard a lot of stories about when the boarding houses were privately owned and the way tenants were treated. It definitely seems things are running better now. The tenants report to be much happier and love to tell us stories about how it used to work. It’s very different now,” Margot says.

The unique and compassionate way Unity Housing manages the boarding houses largely attributes to the program’s success. Margot says there is a three step process that ensures tenants are well looked after.

“What is really important is the allocation process. It is important to consider what room people are placed in, and what their accommodation needs are. Before any of our tenants are housed, they come in and have an assessment with me to discuss their housing history and why tenancies have failed in the past. From there I find out what are their support needs when selecting a room for them,” says Margot.

‘Another thing I consider is keeping a balance. In the Terrace building there are 95 tenants and it’s broken up into floors and wings. That way people can form supports from other tenants within their floor. We wouldn’t place a female on an all-male floor where she may feel vulnerable. Just like we wouldn’t have a young person on a floor with all older people, because they would be vulnerable or feel isolated.’

‘The other important thing is early intervention. We have house rules here that tenants need to abide by. If we identify tenants that seem to be struggling we will link them in with supports to assist them. There are two liaison workers whose role is to assist our tenants to access supports. If tenants are not coping with their tenancy we work with them to try and rectify that. Same goes for enforcing rules, we always get onto it straight away so tenants know what their boundaries are and what they need to do to be able to live here,” Margot continues.

The tenants at Unity’s boarding house program are varied – and the program is for anyone who is experiencing hardship. There are migrant tenants who don’t speak English as their first language, Aboriginal tenants, tenants who suffer from mental health issues, those with drug and alcohol issues, or simply people who have fallen on hard times.

Although the boarding house program is primarily intended as transitional housing, there are also long-term tenants who reside at the properties.

“We have tenants who have been with us for over ten years, and probably wouldn’t cope well in other housing types. The majority of our tenants won’t stay that long – we do try to move them into our community housing program. But it’s good to have some long-term tenants because they help enforce the rules and set the mood about what it’s like to live here,” Margot says.

What makes Unity’s Boarding House Program unique is there are no comparable programs in South Australia. While there are similar facilities for young people, there are no facilities for ‘generic’ homeless people.

“There are a lot of people here who would not cope elsewhere, that aren’t ready for the private rental market or possibly even for living by themselves in public or community housing. We have staff on site 24/7 and that provides a feeling of security for our tenants. People living here know the property will be well maintained and that we will abide by the Residential Tenancies Act so they won’t be subject to unfair conditions,” Margot continues.

Unity’s staff are also essential in maintaining the positive progression and operation of the Boarding House Program.

“When people come here [Unity] they stay. Our staff have empathy for people in crisis, as well as being resilient. We’re part of a big organisation and we’ve got policies and procedures to support both staff and tenants,” says Margot.

The success of the program exhibits the great need for more boarding houses which mirror Unity’s approach.

“We’ve got 117 beds but there are so many more people sleeping rough…places like the Terrace help people build independent living skills before they move on to more independent living,” Margot says.

CHIA congratulates Unity Housing’s unique and inspiring program that has helped many people who would otherwise very likely be without a home.

CHL announces new reconciliation action plan

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National Reconciliation Week could not be a more fitting time for Community Housing Limited (CHL), a national community housing provider, to announce their Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

CHIA congratulates CHL on their fantastic initiative towards working collaboratively with Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. CHL has a long history of supporting Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with RAP ensuring a long-term plan to assist with the provision of safe, affordable and long-term housing. The security of housing will also enable the sustainable development of Indigenous Australian communities.

Cover of RAP

 

“CHL’s RAP is a reflection on our long reconciliation journey which started in the very early years of our existence. Over the years we have forged deep relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners, organisations and communities on the very strong foundation of mutual trust and respect.

The CHL Reflect RAP will enable the organisation to further strengthen the existing relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations.

It will also support an organisational culture within CHL that acknowledges and fosters awareness and respect for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their histories and their cultures, through both its work practices and organisational environments,” Steve Bevington, Managing Director of Community Housing Ltd Group said.

Over 14% of CHL’s housing tenants are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples, and CHL has a 15 year history of assisting and working extensively with local communities.

“Whilst there is a huge parity gap between wider Australia and our First Peoples, CHL celebrates the survival and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures across the country’s many traditional lands and language groups. We also recognise their right to determine their own future and to live in accordance with their own values and customs.

Recognising the importance of self-determination, CHL has also commenced the process of registering an Aboriginal housing organisation, Aboriginal Community Housing Limited (ACHL) that will provide culturally appropriate housing to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

ACHL will become the first independent national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led and managed provider of long-term affordable housing, and property and tenancy management for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

CHL will support the development of ACHL in its formative years and provide staff resources, systems, expertise and advice to enable ACHL to grow into an independent national organisation in the long-term,” said Steve.

RAP launch Victoria

Reconciliation Week is a crucial time in Australia’s calendar, and CHL is proudly hosting events in their offices across Australia, and contributing to the reconciliation between Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.

To download a copy of CHL’s RAP click here.

AHURI publishes new research: homelessness soars in our biggest cities

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New research conducted by AHURI, ‘The changing geography of homelessness: a spatial analysis from 2001 to 2016’ has revealed homelessness is continuing to increase in Australia’s major cities.

Almost two thirds of Australians experiencing homelessness are located in the country’s capital cities, with this number continuing to grow in size.

Homelessness on a per capita basis still remains highest in very remote areas, yet these figures are becoming more dispersed nationally and growing in larger cities. Specifically, cities with a shortage of affordable private rental housing and higher median rates are seeing homelessness continue to rise. Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart have the most significant rise in homelessness.

AHURI’s research indicated overcrowding in major cities is directly correlated with weak labour markets and poorer areas with a higher concentration of males. However, these associations do not apply for overcrowding in remote areas.

The study also found that 63 per cent of homelessness is now based in Australia’s capital cities, up from 48 per cent in 2001. While homelessness has been falling in remote and very remote areas, it is still higher in these areas per head of the population.

Shares (%) of homelessness and population by area type

Homelessness is now becoming more dispersed in major cities. There is a decline of homelessness in the CBD and inner areas of Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, yet rates of homelessness in outer urban areas has increased.

Change in homeless rate compared with population growth 2001–2016

The number of households living in severely overcrowded dwellings has doubled in capital cities over the last 15 years, accounting for much of the increase in homelessness overall.

As homelessness across the country continues to rapidly increase, now is the time for governments to increase the supply and size of affordable rental dwellings. Housing affordability is a crucial issue that needs to be combated so all Australians can have a roof over their heads.

View the Executive Summary of AHURI’s report here. 

View AHURI’s Full Report here.

Media Release: Community housing industry association congratulates the re-elected coalition government

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The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) today congratulated the Coalition on being re-elected to govern Australia for the next three years.

“After a hard-fought campaign in which housing featured prominently, CHIA looks forward to working closely with the new Government to address Australia’s far-reaching housing affordability crisis. This critically affects not only aspiring first home owners, but also many low-waged working and vulnerable households doing it tough in often expensive and unsuitable private rental housing,” CHIA Chair Michael Lennon said today.

Mr Lennon acknowledged the work initiated by the last Coalition government’s Affordable Housing Working Group under then-Treasurer Morrison, and which led directly to the creation of the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation (NHFIC). He said ‘the NHFIC has already had an impact by enabling community housing organisations to refinance existing loans, with considerable resulting savings through lower interest charges.’ He also welcomed the Coalition’s election campaign announcement to use NHFIC to administer a government guarantee to support first home buyers.

Wendy Hayhurst, CHIA’s CEO added that the Coalition’s $25M pledge to research housing supply and demand via NHFIC was very much in tune with CHIA’s own proposals as published in the organisation’s 2018 National Housing Plan. She said ‘independently-produced analysis of the housing system augurs well for housing policy achieving more prominence in government decision making that, as essential social and economic infrastructure, it deserves.

UNSW research for the community housing industry and other partners – Strengthening Economic Cases for Housing: the Productivity Gains from Better Housing Outcomes – clearly demonstrates the gains to individuals, communities and the country in constructing well-located affordable housing. Ms Hayhurst said “the research demonstrates that the productivity ‘return’ from investing in affordable housing for those many households in rental stress can easily exceed the cost to government.”

CHIA also welcomes the creation of a dedicated Housing Minister, the Hon. Michael Sukkar, and an assistant minister for Community Housing and Homelessness, Luke Howarth MP. This week we have also seen the appointment of Jason Clare MP, Labor’s Shadow Housing and Homelessness spokesperson.

 

Contact: Wendy Hayhurst 0421 046 832

CHIA WA Press Release – Morrison Govt needs to make social and affordable rental housing its key housing priority

News Western Australia No Comments

MEDIA RELEASE
Morrison Government needs to make social and affordable rental housing its key housing priority

Jennie Vartan, State Manager for the Community Housing Industry Association WA, the peak industry body for community housing providers in WA, today congratulated Scott Morrison and his parliamentary team on winning Saturday’s general election and urged them to remember the importance of affordable housing rental supply as it prepares to serve another term of Government.

“The Liberal party’s pre-election pledges focussed predominantly on assisting first time buyers into home ownership. While helping people into home ownership is a laudable aim, the most pressing issue is ensuring the nation’s stock of social and affordable rental housing continues to increase. When it comes to housing need no one is doing it tougher than low income renters, for whom home ownership is often unachievable, said Ms. Vartan.

“The previous Government should be applauded for the establishment of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC). NHFIC will play a vital role in the years ahead in providing development finance to community housing providers looking to build new housing for people in need. However, it is only one part of the solution. More needs to be done if we are to address the growing social and affordable housing deficit, continued Ms. Vartan

“The simple truth is that the Federal government investment in social and affordable housing is insufficient and needs to increase. Institutional, policy, and regulatory reform are also an important part of the overall solution as set out in CHIA’s National Housing Plan, said Ms. Vartan.

“CHIA WA members look forward to working with Mr. Morrison and his team on the pressing housing issues affecting all of us and wish them well as they commence the new term of Government” concluded Ms. Vartan.

ENDS
For further information, please contact Jennie Vartan, CHIA WA State Manager on 0409 889 437

The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) is the peak industry body for the Australian community housing industry, which provides one in five of Australia’s social housing properties, complementing public housing.

Community housing providers manage a $30 billion-plus portfolio of more than 80,000 rental properties, which are home to people who are on low and moderate incomes who find it hard to access affordable or appropriate housing in the private market.

Home4life wins Hunter Residences Program

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Home4Life, a joint venture between Hunter’s Compass Housing and the Campbelltown-based BlueCHP, has won the Hunter Residences Program to support people with disabilities. This initiative was announced last week by Minister for Disability Services, Ray Williams.

Under the program, 69 homes designed to be accessible for people with disabilities will be built in the Hunter Residences.

“I’m thrilled to give more than 330 residents the good news that their new homes are one step closer to becoming a reality,” said Minister for Disability Services, Ray Williams.

All the new dwellings will be built in accordance with the standards for disability housing set by the NSW Government and National Disability Insurance Scheme. While Home4Life are responsible for constructing and managing the properties, the residents will be cared for by the organisations.

“We have listened to what residents and their families want every step of the way in the redevelopment process,” Mr Williams said.

Home4Life’s rent would be 25 per cent of the disability pension plus any Commonwealth rent assistance – together with SDA payments or Continuity of Support (CoS) payments for those over 65.

Later this year, a select tender process for a Supported Independent Living service provider will commence. Families will be able to meet with potential providers before a decision is made.

Joint Media Release: Community groups condemn mock rent increase notices and negative gearing scare tactics

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Housing, homelessness and community peaks today condemned the use of mock rent increase notices as election material, which target people already living in rental stress.

The groups said that mock notices distributed to renters by the LNP are grossly misleading and likely to cause unnecessary anxiety amongst vulnerable renters.

ACOSS, National Shelter, the National Association of Tenant Orgnisations, Homelessness Australia and the Community Housing Industry Association after calling for an end to scare tactics around negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions.

“We strongly condemn the use of mock rent increase notices which target people who already live in rental stress. Renters in Australia already face some of the weakest regulatory protections, from which landlords currently benefit. Many tenants have faced repeated rent hikes which cause deep financial stress,” ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie said.

The Chair of the National Association of Tenants Organisations, Penny Carr, said:

“This kind of political tactic is irresponsible and deliberately designed to alarm renters, including many who are already deeply concerned about paying the rent every week or in fear of unfair evictions by their landlord.”

Shelter CEO Adrian Pisarski said the current tax concessions for housing investors have driven up house prices and rents and should be wound back.

“We have together advocated for reforms to housing tax concessions for more than a decade. These concessions overwhelmingly benefit higher income households, do nothing to increase the supply of housing and are unsustainable,” said Mr Pisarski.

“There is no evidence to suggest that rents would increase as a result of Labor’s proposed reforms. To the contrary, these changes are likely to reduce pressure on the housing market, improving affordability for both buyers and renters.

“Labor’s proposal will not apply to properties that are currently negatively geared, so existing investors will not be affected. Instead of scare campaigns we need to pursue a sensible reset of these concessions so that our housing system works for everyone.”

CEO of the Community Housing Industry Association, Wendy Hayhurst, said the property and real estate industries were lone voices in their opposition to reforming investor tax breaks.

“Two thirds of voters support government investment in social and affordable housing over negative gearing tax breaks for property investors,” Ms Hayhurst said.

“We need proper bipartisan support for policies that will address all pressure points in our housing system.”

Homeless Australia Chair Jenny Smith said that the campaign scare tactics would instil fear in people at risk of homelessness.

“The major parties should be offering hope to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in this Election, not creating fear. That means putting homes ahead of investment portfolios, making renting fairer for tenants, investing in more social and affordable housing for the 811,000 households struggling in the private rental market, and developing a national plan to end homelessness in Australia.”

“We appeal to all political parties and candidates in the last days of the Election campaign not to exploit the fears of vulnerable people with misleading scare tactics.”

 

ACOSS: 0419 626 155

National Shelter: 0417 975 270

Community Housing Industry Association: 0421 046 832

National Association of Tenant Organisations: 0418 747 921

Homelessness Australia: 0435 966 251

 

Helping rough sleepers find a home in Geelong

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Minister for Housing Richard Wynne announced today a $17 million housing package for Geelong; as part of the Victorian Government’s $45 million Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan.

The new plan will be implemented across Geelong to help those sleeping rough find a secure home, and includes 20 new modular homes to be built in areas of high need. The homes will cater to people with complex needs who have been sleeping rough for an extended period and will also have intensive onsite support.

Teams of outreach workers will parol the homeless hot spots in the streets of Geelong as part of the rough sleepers’ package initiated by the Andrews Government. The program seeks to support vulnerable Victorians through providing them with tailored and targeted support. Outreach workers will help direct rough sleepers to emergency accommodation and ongoing support.

“We’re taking targeted support directly to rough sleepers to break the cycle of homelessness for vulnerable Victorians and help them get back on their feet,” Minister for Housing Richard Wynne said.

Labor’s Housing and Homelessness Package will seek to combat homelessness through:

  • Outreach teams in Bendigo, Maroondah, Warrnambool, Swan Hill, Frankston, Dandenong and Geelong.
  • Supportive housing teams in Frankston, inner Melbourne, Geelong and Dandenong.
  • Modular housing support in Bacchus Marsh, Geelong (Norlane) and Dandenong.

Sacred Heart Mission, Uniting Ballarat, Brophy Family and Youth Services, Haven Home Safe, Neami Ltd, Wellways and Launch Housing are partnering with the Government as part of the program.

Housing Plus gets $95 million

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Housing Plus, a NSW community housing provider, has received $95 million in funding from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).

Roughly 220 new affordable homes have been designed which are energy efficient and will be available to low-income earners. Housing Plus, based in regional NSW, received CEFC finance as part of its successful bid for inclusion in the second funding round offered by the NSW Social and Affordable Housing Fund.

47 new affordable homes will be delivered in Bathurst, 87 in Dubbo and 86 in Orange over the next three years as construction begins. To abide by the National Housing Energy Rating System standard, the new homes will have a minimum 7-Star rating. The new dwellings will feature rooftop solar battery installations, heat pumps, additional insulation, double glazing, smart meters, LED lighting and energy efficient white goods.

“Once families settle in these new homes, the clean energy benefits will speak for themselves, with increased levels of comfort requiring significantly less energy for day-to-day living. These homes, because they require less energy, will also help reduce the emissions impact of our built environment,” CEFC’s chief executive Ian Learmonth said.

 

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