Spending on homelessness must be tripled for numbers to even stand still: expert

THE NSW government needs to double the amount of social and affordable housing it aims to build to prevent a huge leap in homelessness, experts warn.

Tracey Darwin and pet cat Reggae do their best to stay dry in Parramatta. Tracey has been homeless after being forced out by domestic violence. Picture: Richard Dobson

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THE NSW government needs to double the amount of social and affordable housing it aims to build to prevent a huge leap in homelessness, housing experts have warned.

Tuesday’s state Budget unveiled 1200 new houses for older women as part of its $1.1 billion Social and Affordable Housing Fund.

But University of NSW professor of housing research Hal Pawson said spending needed to be tripled for the numbers of homeless just to stand still.

Tori Wright (left) and Jess Wyborn both overcame periods of homelessness. They now help at Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections. Picture: Richard Dobson

“If it was possible to add 21,000 to the NSW social and affordable rental housing stock over the next decade, the current waiting list of 60,000 people would likely remain the same,” Prof Pawson said.

THE SYDNEY AREA WHERE HOMELESSNESS HAS SOARED BY 63 PER CENT

But at the current rate, with fewer than 10,000 new homes planned, he said there would be “a larger housing waiting list and higher numbers of homeless people”.

He said analysis of population growth showed the $1.1 billion earmarked in the Budget needed to be bumped up to $3.6 billion to tackle the impending crisis.

Karen, pictured in Ashfield, was made redundant and became homeless afterwards. Picture: Tim Hunter

“That’s far below the $18.5 billion that the government has reaped from additional stamp duty revenue over the past six years thanks to the property boom,” Prof Pawson said.

Homelessness in NSW rose 37 per cent between 2011 and 2016, according to the last ­census, and people are being kept on a waiting list for up to 10 years before getting social housing.

Tuesday’s NSW budget unveiled 1200 new houses for older women. Picture: Tim Pascoe

Katherine McKernan, chief executive of Homelessness NSW, said an extra $61 million included in the Budget “will not reduce homelessness”.

She said Sydney’s soaraway housing market was driving up the cost of renting, with just 1  per cent of rental accommodation affordable for people on low incomes.

“Homelessness is increasingly about the cost of rents — this can be seen in the 74 per cent increase in overcrowding and the 48 per cent increase in older women experiencing homelessness,” she said.

Ms McKernan pointed to Finland, which has virtually eradicated homelessness by turning welfare spending on its head and putting money spent on crisis shelters into cheap housing instead.

WESTERN SYDNEY RESIDENTS SHOWER KINDNESS ON HOMELESS DUO

“What is needed is significant investment in social and affordable housing,” she said.

A spokeswoman for Social Housing Minister Pru Goward said: “The NSW government is investing a record amount in Specialist Homelessness Services, $198 million in the 2017-18 Budget.

This is part of a $1.1 billion investment to support people experiencing homelessness and improve services for social housing tenants.”