The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinars
Urbanity
Awards
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
Untitled design (8)
LESS THAN 30 DAYS UNTIL OUR FLAGSHIP CONFERENCE 29-31 JULY, GOLD COAST
4 WEEKS UNTIL OUR FLAGSHIP CONFERENCE 29-31 JULY, GOLD COAST
SECURE YOUR SPOTDETAILS
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
ADVERTISEMENT
SHARE
print
Print
GovernmentStaff WriterSun 23 Jul 17

Australian Social Housing: More On The List Than Through The Door

iStock-511391234_620x380

Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that one in six properties are classed as "underutilised".

The ABC reported that 200,000 Australians are reportedly on waiting lists for housing but a significant number of them can't find accommodation because larger homes are being occupied by single, elderly people.

NSW Federation of Community Housing’s Wendy Hayhurst blamed "under-occupation" - a large number of people living in homes that are too large for them.

"We've got a very rapidly ageing population, not just in public housing and social housing, but across Australia,” she told the ABC.

"And as they grow older and their children move away, they are left living in accommodation that's too large for them.

"It's not their fault, there just isn't the accommodation that's smaller near where they need to be — near their supports, hospitals. So they're stuck really."While publicly funded beds are increasingly left empty, the number of people on the waiting list continues to grow.

Underutilised property has been attributed as a cause for homelessness, with numbers on the rise as the homeless wait for openings in social housing.

Homelessness NSW’s Katherine McKernan said that the solution rested on the federal government and that more funding is needed to increase the construction and availability of single bedroom dwellings.

This strategy, in turn, would allow the elderly whose families have moved out of home and now live in dwellings larger than they need to occupy those spaces, freeing up more social housing opportunities.

"Really what we need is an expansion of social housing and an increase in smaller dwellings that suit singles and couples, so that this issue can be managed," McKernan told the ABC.

"There's such a huge waiting list and such demand on the stock — it's not a simple matter of just moving single people into smaller dwellings, because the smaller dwellings just aren't available."

- Via ABC 

ResidentialAustraliaConstructionPolicyConstructionPolicy
AUTHOR
Staff Writer
"TheUrbanDeveloper.com is committed to delivering the latest news, reviews, opinions and insights into the best of urban development from Australia and around the world. "
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Molti chief Ben Teague out front of 32 Mercer Road Aramadale (rendering)
Exclusive

Buy on the Sound of Cannons: Molti’s Counter-Cyclical Move to Melbourne

Leon Della Bosca
5 Min
Exclusive

Tapping the Bunnings ‘Halo Effect’

Taryn Paris
5 Min
Exclusive

‘Construction Not a Scale Game’: Hutchinson

Phil Bartsch
9 Min
Nation's build-to-rent project Charlie Parker in Sydney's Parramatta where more projects are being located and built outside the CBD.
Exclusive

Foreign Capital Still Dominates BtR but Things are Changing

Marisa Wikramanayake
7 Min
Exclusive

Fortis Reveals Plans for Coveted Bowen Terrace Site

Taryn Paris
4 Min
View All >
Molti chief Ben Teague out front of 32 Mercer Road Aramadale (rendering)
Exclusive

Buy on the Sound of Cannons: Molti’s Counter-Cyclical Move to Melbourne

Leon Della Bosca
Sponsored

HCP: Real Projects, Real People, Real Returns

Partner Content
Justin Butterworth will speak on a panel at Urbanity 2025 on the Gold Coast.
Technology

Platforms Pump Up Rental Revolution: Justin Butterworth

Renee McKeown
The brains behind the foundation of Airbnb is moving in a new direction reshaping the face of the rental market…
LATEST
Molti chief Ben Teague out front of 32 Mercer Road Aramadale (rendering)
Exclusive

Buy on the Sound of Cannons: Molti’s Counter-Cyclical Move to Melbourne

Leon Della Bosca
5 Min
Finance

HCP: Real Projects, Real People, Real Returns

Partner Content
5 Min
Justin Butterworth will speak on a panel at Urbanity 2025 on the Gold Coast.
Technology

Platforms Pump Up Rental Revolution: Justin Butterworth

Renee McKeown
4 Min
Jinding Larkview Mt Barker EDM
Residential

Jinding Expands into SA with $180m Mount Barker Approval

Vanessa Croll
2 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://theurbandeveloper.com/articles/australian-social-housing-list-door