New direction for Housing Trust to help poor and private renters

The new Labor government promised to spend $180m to open more public housing – now it’s ordered the Housing Trust to start helping people who need a home.

The Housing Trust has been told to stop reducing the amount of public housing and work out how to better help people in the state’s private rental crisis.

Minister for Human Services Nat Cook said she had already started work on implementing Labor’s election promise to spend $180m on building new homes and repairing or upgrading existing Trust properties.

“We have also asked the SA Housing Authority to consider what immediate changes can be made to the Private Rental Assistance Program to help families who are struggling to find a home,” she said.

“This ($180m) will involve a combination of sales, new builds and upgrades to deliver homes that better match our community’s needs.”

During the state election campaign Ms Cook was critical of the almost 2000 vacant Housing Trust homes across the state, mostly due to outstanding and unfunded maintenance problems.

There are 17,000 people on the public housing waiting list.

Her comments on Thursday came ahead of a rental housing summit held this Friday in Adelaide by the Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI).

Organiser and TACSI chief executive Carolyn Curtis said one in every three South Australian households was renting, and more pressure on the already-punishing market could be expected.

“To secure a prosperous and resilient future for our state, we will need to ensure our rental market is capable of providing the conditions to get ahead in life for all South Australians who rent their home,’’ she said.

The rental crisis in SA is blamed on increased demand for properties as thousands of people return to the state or don’t leave, in part because of its good record in managing Covid.

Emma Slape from Turner Real Estate. Picture: Brenton Edwards

One panellist at the Friday summit is Turner Real Estate chief executive Emma Slape, who said the change of direction at the Housing Trust would help.

“We all know that SAHT sold too much stock, but I’m hoping there will be some debate on Friday around which parties can meaningfully contribute to the solution,’’ she said.

“Some probably is a government problem, but I think that the private rental market is terribly under-utilised with what that can offer.

“We have a lot of relationships with organisations, such as the Salvos, and they really work. There are a lot of philanthropic landlords out there who would be prepared to input in some way, but the perception that the private market is only investors with no heart is incorrect and is a market very much worthwhile exploring.”

Emma Baker, a professor of housing research at Adelaide University, will be a keynote speaker.

“Our research shows there is a national problem but SA has the tightest rental market in Australia,’’ she said.

“There was already stress before Covid hit but the pandemic had a big effect.”