NSW Government social housing commitment is good news
The NSW Treasurer’s commitment to including increased investment in social housing in next Month’s state Budget will create jobs and homes for families in rental stress and losing income as a result of COVID-19, the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) NSW has said.
CHIA NSW CEO Mark Degotardi welcomed the commitment to extra funds for renovation and construction of new social housing foreshadowed in today’s Sydney Morning Herald and urged the Government.
“In NSW, we have over 50,000 households on the social housing waiting list, a queue that will only grow as the economic impact COVID-19 is felt.
At the same time we know that homelessness is set to increase by as much as 16,000 people as a result of the pandemic,” Mr Degotardi said.
“Investment in renovation will provide an immediate pipeline of work for trades people and much needed upgrades to existing social housing properties.
“While there’s no detail yet about the level of funding for new homes, we are hoping is at a scale that will deliver 5,000 social housing properties a year that we need over the next 10 years.
“In NSW community housing providers have shovel ready projects that could deliver thousands of new homes with support from Government.”
Mr Degotardi said state governments are being left to shoulder the responsibility for ensuring Australians have a home, despite the national scale of the recession and pending levels of homelessness and rent stress.
“NSW is filling a glaring gap left by the Federal Government after its failure to include any direct investment social housing infrastructure in the Budget this week,” Mr Degotardi said
“It will take all levels of Government working together to drive economic recovery and help fix a housing system that has been broken for decades.”
Media contact: Jenny Stokes, 0478 404 280