The issues of homelessness and affordable housing in areas such as the Illawarra were raised as part of a conference in Sydney.
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National and international housing experts met this week to discuss the current and growing shortfall of accessible and affordable housing in NSW and Australia.
The ‘Everybody’s Home Affordable Housing Conference’ was convened by the Community Housing Industry Association NSW and Homelessness NSW.
Topics included the need to catch up with the rest of the world in build-to-rent and community housing.
Housing Trust CEO Michele Adair was a facilitator for the session on tackling regional homelessness, ‘Not Just A Sydney Issue: Homelessness in Regional Areas’.
This session sought to explore how housing and homelessness services in regional areas can work collaboratively to develop responses that meet local needs.
Ms Adair said her remarks at the event related to the uniqueness of Wollongong, and, “the challenges we face because of the pressures in the Sydney market, and the fact that we are in effect a part of greater metropolitan Sydney in many ways”.
“Yet we have none of the benefits of the initiatives that are being implemented in metropolitan Sydney.
“It means that we don’t have access yet to State Environmental Planning Policy 70, which allows for some slightly higher density and slightly smaller properties, but they are dedicated to affordable housing.
“But nor do we have any of the inclusionary zoning that is evident in some individual councils, or that the Greater Sydney Commission has implemented, which is for a minimum of five to ten per cent.
“So they are particularly significant issues because of our geographical proximity (to Sydney).
“The other issue (raised) for homelessness and the affordability crisis in regional communities is that it is largely invisible, and so we don’t have as much of a visible presence as we had for example with the sleepout in Martin Place and the like.”
Also, the ‘Creating Affordable Housing for Local Communities’ session sought to explore Shoalhaven City Council's engagement with its community to start to identify some local solutions and its partners.
Among the speakers were Gordon Clark, strategic planning manager at Shoalhaven City Council; and Mark Jones, chair of the Illawarra Chapter of the Property Council of Australia.
Meanwhile, a new study released ahead of the conference predicts NSW will need an additional 12,500 new social and affordable rental homes a year until 2026 to meet the current backlog and keep pace with the state’s expected population growth.
It includes 5000 social housing homes a year until 2026 for low-income households and 7500 affordable (below market) rental homes for people in rental stress.
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