Page 512 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 18 February 2015
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CHC through a $70 million revolving loan to deliver 500 affordable housing dwellings for rent and sale by 2015. The government has also supported the development of affordable and community housing through stock transfer. This includes the transfer of 132 dwellings to CHC Affordable Housing to support the affordable housing action plan.
Under the former federal government’s nation building and jobs plan, the stimulus package, the ACT government supported the development of 53 dwellings for Argyle Community Housing, 24 dwellings for the Salvation Army, six units for St Margaret’s Uniting Church and an additional 38 dwellings for CHC Affordable Housing.
The government had also provided support for a range of agencies to acquire or develop innovative disability housing options, including Project Independence, CatholicCare and CHC Affordable Housing. These projects have contributed to the diversity of housing choices for people on low incomes and for people with complex housing needs such as specialist disability housing.
Throughout 2014 the ACT government, with the assistance of the commonwealth government, has moved significantly closer to achieving Common Ground in the ACT. This 40-unit building is being constructed and will house up to 20 people experiencing chronic homelessness and 20 people on a low income in appropriate and affordable accommodation. Common Ground is an assertive intervention model which addresses homelessness by providing longer term safe and secure supported accommodation for people who have experienced homelessness. It is a mix of chronically homeless people with people on low incomes paying affordable rent.
Ms Lawder’s motion calls on the government to provide detailed information by the end of March on what assistance it will provide to the residents of Canberra South Motor Park. I have sought advice on this issue and I understand from Housing ACT that Housing ACT has not been approached by any of the residents of Canberra South Motor Park seeking assistance. However, Housing ACT remains ready to assess people for their eligibility for public housing in the event that they do approach Housing ACT seeking assistance.
I will turn to the government’s amendment to Ms Lawder’s motion. The Report on Government Services released last month provided a detailed snapshot of the public housing and homelessness sector in the ACT. Despite what Ms Lawder has led us to believe, the report is not all dire news, as she has described it. For example, the report showed that Canberra topped the nation in a range of areas, including new public housing tenancies going to those with the greatest need, and support for people in public housing or those experiencing homelessness.
The ROGS report showed that the ACT led the nation in the proportion of public housing that was providing homes to low income households at 98.9 per cent and the greatest needs allocations as a proportion of new tenancies at 96.9 per cent. The ACT had the highest proportion of young people in education or training after receiving support, at 82.4 per cent, who had been experiencing a form of homelessness, compared to the national average of 68.4 per cent. Of those clients being provided accommodation by homelessness services, 43.8 per cent went to a secure tenancy of their own after this support. Again, this is the highest in the nation.
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