Tasmania’s social housing: suburbs with the most and least properties

An investigation into the public housing saturation in Tasmania has highlighted our in-demand suburbs, as experts weigh in on whether a high concentration of government housing is ideal. SEE FULL LIST OF SUBURBS >>

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AUTHORITIES have pledged new public housing supply will be dispersed throughout all corners of the state in a bid to move away from broad acre public housing.

There are more than 13,000 social housing homes in Tasmania.

Of those properties, 7227 are listed as public housing, 5980 belong to community housing providers and 298 fall under Indigenous housing.

There are more than 3300 Tasmanians on the public housing waitlist.

Social service experts believe affordable housing needs to be integrated in all suburbs and regions, with research and evidence from other jurisdictions showing the best outcomes are when there is a mix of social and private housing.

The highest concentration of community housing properties in the state are at Northern Launceston, Bridgewater, Rokeby/Clarendon Vale, and in Tasmania’s North-West.

In Northern Launceston there are 1190 community housing properties managed by Community Housing Ltd, according to the organisation’s annual report.

Map showing regions of high demand for social housing across the state. PICTURE: Communities Tasmania.

In the state’s North-West there are 1156 community housing sites run by Housing Choices Tasmania.

In Bridgewater, CentaCare Evolve holds 1065 community housing properties, while in Rokeby and Clarendon Vale Mission Australia operates 520 properties.

Government figures show the most public housing properties are in Devonport which holds 653 properties, while Glenorchy has the second most [648].

Claremont [260], Kingston [245], and Warrane [242] round out the top five areas with the most public housing supply.

Australian areas with a high concentration of social housing supply are often stigmatised as having high rates of crime.

But Tasmania Police’s latest corporate performance report showed the Hobart division – an area with 57 public housing properties – recorded the second most total offences in September [711], behind Launceston [1310 total offences].

By contrast, Bridgewater – which has more than 1000 community housing properties – recorded far fewer total offences over the same period – 362.

Also of note, St Helens, the area with the fewest total offences [14] holds 42 public housing homes.

Tasmanian Council of Social Service chief executive Adrienne Picone said investment was needed to “substantially increase” the availability of affordable housing in Tasmania and ensure “we never return to the housing crisis that saw so many Tasmanians resorting to sleeping in their cars and couch-surfing”.

“Research tells us Tasmania needs 1000 additional affordable homes made available each year across the state for the next 15 years to keep pace with current and projected need,” she said.

“Data also tells us that each house built results, on average, in the direct employment of three full-time equivalent people and has a multiplier effect on the surrounding community and its economy.

“Alongside the construction of public housing, we need a concerted effort to support Tasmanians in financial stress to access and stay in the private rental market with the vacancy rate low and demand high.”

Housing Tasmania properties in Devonport went up for sale in 2018.

Labor’s Alison Standen, while pointing to recent housing statistics, said Tasmania had a long way to go to address the state’s compiling housing pressures.

“This Housing Minister [Roger Jaensch] has recently admitted he has delivered a net increase of only five new social housing properties over the past year,” she said.

“The data from last June released in September shows 3373 Tasmanian families were on the waiting list for a home.

“It shows they would wait an average of almost 64 weeks to get that home, compared to a record low of 20 weeks at the time the Liberals assumed government more than six years ago.”

The state government said there were a range of initiatives underway to address the housing needs of around 5000 additional households by June 2023, including the supply of up to 2351 new social housing dwellings.

Initiatives include the government’s first and second Affordable Housing Action Plans, which is said to help 3600 households, the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement Debt Waiver aimed at assisting 400 houses over four years and $100 million announced as part of the construction blitz that will deliver up to 1000 additional social houses through our Community Housing Growth Program.

The spokesman said the state government was committed to moving away from broad acre suburbs of public housing, saying new social housing will be delivered across the state determined by applications to the social housing register.

“We will continue to do all we can to help Tasmanians in need into safe and secure housing that meets their needs, right across the state,” he said.