Coronavirus: Push for social housing to lead nation’s recovery

A coalition of peak homelessness groups says federally funded social housing units could help drive a COVID-19 national economic recovery.

Community Housing Industry Association chief executive Wendy Hayhurst.

Tens of thousands of federally funded social housing units could help drive a COVID-19 national economic recovery and provide safer long-term housing for the most vulnerable cohort of Australians, a coalition of peak homelessness groups says.

In calling for a $7.7bn investment from the Morrison government over the next three years into 30,000 homes and the renovation of existing social housing stock, the groups argue that the twin goals of new jobs and social benefit can be achieved.

The peak bodies, Community Housing Industry Association, Homelessness Australia, National Shelter and the Everybody’s Home campaign, say the commonwealth contribution would sit with state and local government contributions including, potentially, land and other capital stock.

“A social housing-led recovery program will boost the economy and create thousands of new jobs in construction, a major industry of employment in Australia,” CHIA chief executive Wendy Hayhurst said.

Homelessness Australia chair Jenny Smith said the corona­virus pandemic was “making many more Australians vulnerable to homelessness. New social housing is urgently needed to respond to existing homelessness, and to Australians experiencing homelessness for the first time”.

It can also drive the construction market, National Shelter chief executive Adrian Pisarski said. “The construction industry has seen a 40 per cent reduction in forward contracts because of COVID-19 … Investing in renovating and building more social housing will help get thousands of Australians back into work and rebuild the economy,” he said.

Recent data puts the number of households in rental stress or homeless at more than 400,000 across the nation.