Affordable housing strategy adopted by Central Coast Council
Central Coast Council last night adopted a far reaching affordable housing strategy which will attempt to address the growing housing crisis that has engulfed the region.
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An anecdote of 197 people competing for a single rental house at Long Jetty has underlined why the affordable housing strategy adopted by Central Coast Council last night is so needed.
Real Estate Agent Cr Bruce McLachlan told council of the recent incident where 197 people had registered for an open house inspection at one rental property with the level of competition forcing the rent up from $425 a week to $450.
“If negative gearing is removed, we are going to need a strategy,” Cr McLachlan said.
“The rental market in Sydney will continue to tighten — and the Central Coast will have to take the overflow,” he said.
The far reaching affordable housing strategy aims to deliver 7000 affordable homes by 2036 through a combination of direct action, planning policies, early intervention and support of homeless people.
The multi faceted strategy may see council partner with registered housing organisations to build affordable housing on its own land.
It will give developers building height and other incentives in return for including permanent affordable housing in their developments.
Significantly, reference to six suburbs identified as being particularly suitable for affordable housing due to their proximity to transport and other services has been removed from the policy after backlash from those communities.
Staff said it was unnecessary to identify particular locations because their suitability for affordable housing would be determined during the usual development application process.
Fourteen of the 15 Central Coast Councillors voted in favour of the new strategy.
Deputy Mayor Chris Holstein said finalising the strategy had taken a long time and debate had been clouded by misunderstandings around the difference between social housing and affordable housing, and beliefs that linked homelessness to mental illness, alcoholism and other social problems.
“Those kinds of problems are what happens if affordable housing is not available,” Cr Holstein said.
“The former CEO of Coast Shelter Laurie Maher always told me that when people came to him faced with a choice between paying the rent or buying food, he told them to pay the rent first because once you lose that roof over your head, it’s all downhill from there,” he said.
Cr Jillian Hogan was another firm supporter of the strategy and spoke in favour of it at last night’s council meeting.
She said the strategy did not simply get address the problem of homelessness — it also served, the young, apprentices, the elderly and ordinary low income earners.
“Council has a role to play — this is everybody’s issue,” she said.
Only one councillor voted against the new policy — self confessed “conservative” Councillor Troy Marquart.
Cr Marquart said the strategy had gone “too far” and said he was particularly opposed to the section which will set up safe areas and services for the chronically homeless.
This might include all weather covered seating areas, safe sleeping areas, 24 hour toilets, showers and water refill stations and access to medical care.
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