Expert warns government’s 1220 social housing commitment not nearly enough

As winter hits hard Tasmania’s homeless sector experts say more social housing properties are needed to meet demand as the waiting list grows.

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THE number of people waiting for social housing in Tasmania has climbed since March and homelessness experts say 11,400 new properties are needed to meet demand.

Figures by Homelessness Australia, based on 2016 Census data, show 1600 people were homeless in Tasmania on any given night before COVID-19.

And electorate mapping shows the problem is not restricted to the State’s cities. with 500 residents across rural Braddon and Lyons looking for a secure place to live.

The State Government has committed to building an additional 1220 new social housing dwellings through a $3.1 billion construction blitz over the next three years.

The latest data shows the number of people on the waiting list grew to 3578 people in March – 70 more than just three months before.

Shelter Tasmania CEO Pattie Chugg.

Shelter Tasmania CEO Pattie Chugg said about 10 per cent of all dwellings across the State (about 11,000 properties) needed to be affordable social rentals to meet demand.

“Many people are priced out of the private rental market with Hobart being the least affordable capital in which to rent a property according to the Rental Affordability Index which compares rents to incomes,” Ms Chugg said.

“It is worth remembering that street homelessness is only the tip of the iceberg. Of the 1600 people counted as homeless in the Census, only eight per cent were sleeping rough.

“The remaining 92 per cent, who are unseen and rarely thought about, are in insecure, temporary, overcrowded and unsafe places. This can mean people sleeping in their car, staying on couches or floors, or staying in motels or other short-term accommodation.”

The call for more social housing follows the release of data last week by Mission Australia that showed one in six Tasmanian young people aged between 15 and 19 had experienced homelessesness.

Minister for Housing, Roger Jaensch. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Housing Minister Roger Jaensch said 2020 had proved immensely stressful for those seeking government services and those providing them.

“Our $4.3 million housing and homelessness support package announced in April has provided a range of short, medium and longer term measures to help helping Tasmanians access secure accommodation,” Mr Jaensch said.

“This includes funding to expand Hobart’s successful Safe Night Space program into a 24/7 service operating in Burnie, Launceston and Hobart, along with expanding Housing Connect’s capacity to provide emergency accommodation in hotels, motels and cabins statewide.

“We are also continuing with the expansion of our homeless shelters right across the state, with 18 new pods at Bethlehem House and 10 new units at the Hobart Women’s shelter now taking tenants, and work underway to convert the Waratah Hotel into a supported accommodation facility.”