Page 483 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
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There are 59 funded homelessness services in the ACT, including 27 accommodation services; 10 outreach services; 21 support services, which include free food; and one capacity building service. Homelessness services have the capacity to provide a total of 340 supported accommodation places per night to young people, singles and families. This is a notable increase from the 254 places that were available in 2006.
“A place to call home” is a commonwealth funded program under the national affordable housing agreement which will provide for 16 dwellings to be allocated in a housing-first approach. This approach directly allocates properties to homeless families, wrapping services and support around them to ensure a stable home for as long as is required.
MS PORTER: A supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Could the minister advise the Assembly of how these initiatives will improve housing for the elderly and those with a disability?
MS BURCH: I thank Ms Porter for her interest. An initiative of this magnitude for our housing stock has the potential to make a huge change for some of our most vulnerable tenants, and we are taking full advantage of this opportunity.
I can inform members that 420 properties will be constructed to universal design standards, making them suitable for tenants with mild disability and mobility problems; 323 of these units will be fully class C adaptable, able to accommodate the majority of our disability tenants and those on our waiting lists. Also, as part of the stimulus plan, a development in Hackett specifically designed to accommodate residents with a disability with support from a live-in carer will be run by the Uniting Church. In addition, under our “maintenance of effort” program, we are currently constructing a further two properties in Ainslie and Narrabundah, with support provided by Disability ACT.
As members can now appreciate, the combined efforts of the commonwealth and ACT governments is delivering a massive boost to social housing, a boost that will assist those in the community who are most in need—the homeless, the elderly and those with a disability. At the same time, it will deliver a construction program that underpins the economic health of the territory.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Bresnan?
MS BRESNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Will there be an impact on the overall housing stock numbers, including public and community housing, when the changes come through from the federal-state arrangements and the federal stimulus funding ends?
MS BURCH: We expect to have an increase in stock and we will maintain effort beyond the end of the stimulus package. I think the figures are coming up towards 12,000 or thereabouts, depending on the final number. I would like to remind the
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