Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue’s Post

NATSIHA’s pre-budget submission is a snapshot of what it really will take to start moving the dial on the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing emergency. We put forward a pathway which if agreed, will genuinely put our country on the right path to Close the Gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing. In short NATSIHA has asked for; ✅ $95 million over 3 years to fund the Joint Council Agreed Housing Sector Strengthening Plan. ✅ Ringfencing 22% of all current and future Housing and Homelessness investment to be used to adequately address the National Indigenous Housing Emergency. ✅ $1.4 billion over 10 years to support a Peak led roll out of maintenance and upgrades. ✅ $5 million to seed fund the development and best practice modelling of a 10-year business case for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing, Homelessness and enabling Infrastructure across all jurisdictions. For more information, visit our page below 👀👇 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association (NATSIHA)

Bundaberg Regional Council has today adopted a plan to address housing and homelessness issues in the region. The Bundaberg Local Housing Action Plan (BLHAP) aims to: 1. develop agreed priority actions to respond to housing need in the Local Government area 2. establish strong foundations for longer-term housing responses to assist housing and homelessness outcomes in the Local Government Area into the future 3. incorporate existing information and plans that assist with developing responses to housing need and acknowledge work already completed by Council, state agencies, private and not-for-profit organisations 4. facilitate targeted interaction between all parties through agreed actions to ensure a focus on deliverables and projects that can improve housing responses in the short and longer-term. The Bundaberg Local Housing Action Plan was delivered with funding support from the Queensland Government. Read the full plan on Council’s website: https://lnkd.in/gcUB6H4u

#Budget2024 is a step forward on non-market housing, financialization & encampments. There must be transparent, human rights-based oversight of this funding so that it makes measurable progress to end inadequate housing & homelessness. Statement ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eR9Xdr8b

Today we issued an urgent plea to Michael Gove to intervene and alleviate the escalating #homelessness crisis gripping our cities. As a national network of 27 cities across England and Wales, Key Cities’ members are currently tackling a combined council housing waiting list of 134,882 households. The combination of soaring private sector rents and an acute shortage of truly affordable housing has created a dire situation for residents, particularly the most vulnerable, leading to an unprecedented surge in homelessness in our cities. In the midst of a severe #housing shortage, it was disappointing the Spring Budget failed to address the national housing and homelessness crisis, which according to the Local Government Association is costing local authorities a staggering £1.74 billion annually in providing temporary accommodation – an 89% increase over the past decade. In light of this pressing situation, Key Cities is calling on the government to take immediate steps to stabilise the fractured housing market and institute long-term strategic solutions to homelessness including: ✔ Urgent localised financial support to address the short-term surge in homelessness following asylum seeker decisions, ensuring a roof over people's heads. ✔ Bringing forward the Renters Reform Bill and announcing a date for the repeal of Section 21 No Fault evictions to alleviate its role as a significant driver of homelessness. ✔ An immediate review of Housing Benefit Subsidy Rules to ensure local authorities can provide cost-effective temporary accommodation eligible for full housing benefit subsidy. ✔ Significant increase in Social Housing Grants to bring forward much needed new council and social housing that accounts for the rising costs of building homes in brownfield locations and the increased costs of construction materials. ✔ Changes to Selective Licensing Rules to allow schemes to run for longer periods, enabling more extended-term interventions for positive impacts. We firmly believe that these urgent actions will contribute to stabilising the housing market and lay the groundwork for long-term solutions to homelessness in cities across the UK. And we would welcome an opportunity for our members to speak with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities urgently to work together for the benefit of all our communities.

The Scottish Government is adding £80 million to boost affordable housing, using these funds to acquire and repurpose properties for affordable housing to reduce homelessness. This announcement, made by First Minister Humza Yousaf during his visit to Hillcrest Housing Association's Derby Street development in Dundee, increases the affordable housing budget to nearly £600 million by 2024-2025. This boost in funding partially offsets a controversial £196 million budget cut, signifying progress in addressing Scotland's housing crisis. The investment aims to reduce the duration families, especially children, spend in temporary accommodation, and to accelerate discussions with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) about the number of vacant local authority properties. Mr. Yousaf expressed his commitment to addressing empty properties, stating it's unacceptable for homes to be vacant while people experience homelessness. The £80 million allocation builds on the success of the National Acquisition Programme, which last year invested over £60 million to provide over 1,000 affordable homes. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to decrease the number of households in temporary accommodation and to discuss unoccupied council properties with COSLA. . . Join us in accelerating change! Visit net-zeroclub.co.uk to explore sustainable solutions. . . #affordablehousing #homelessness #housingcrisis

Housing choice vouchers are the federal government's most significant rental assistance; 2.3 million American households rely on the $30 billion program. Across the country, the number of vouchers is determined by annual funding from Congress. However, studies have found that funding has yet to keep up with rental prices in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. This has contributed to the homelessness crisis in cities like Los Angeles. Addressing housing and homelessness is our most urgent issue. We cannot wait for the status quo: Currently, LA is 270,000 units short of meeting the existing demand for affordable housing - and demand keeps growing as home and land prices continue climbing. We encourage you to read the full article and visit our website, TheAngelenoProject.Org, to learn more about our efforts to address housing and homelessness. https://lnkd.in/dJXXiqHj

Baptist Care Australia stands in solidarity with partner organisations, including the Community Housing Industry Association, Homelessness Australia, and the 'Everybody's Home' campaign, in expressing disappointment with the federal Government's response to the housing crisis. Despite widespread advocacy from the community services sector, the Budget fails to offer adequate solutions to address homelessness and housing affordability. 🔹 Insufficient Funding for Social Housing: The absence of new funding for social housing exacerbates the crisis, with initiatives merely reiterating previous commitments.  🔹 Increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance: While the 10% increase plus indexation is a step forward, concerns remain this will not be enough to ensure secure housing in the current rental market. 🔹 Concessional Finance for Community Housing Providers: Additional financing of up to 1.9 billion for community housing providers is welcomed, yet clarity on eligibility criteria is needed.  🔹 New Detail on Known Commitments: Scrutiny reveals that much of the funding represents existing commitments, with limited allocations for social housing infrastructure.  🔹 Doubling of Homelessness Funding: While doubling homelessness funding is positive, reallocating funds from the housing component to homelessness services raises concerns.  🔹 Urgency for Action: The housing crisis demands immediate and substantial action. Prioritising social housing is paramount to ensuring safe and affordable housing for all Australians. Baptist Care Australia urges the Government to swiftly address the housing crisis and prioritise the needs of individuals and families over investor interests. #HousingCrisis #FederalBudget2024 #AffordableHousing #BaptistCareAustralia #auspol #EverybodysHome

Angela Rayner is set to receive nearly £1 billion to fund a significant council housing drive. This initiative aims to double the number of council homes built each year, addressing the urgent need for affordable housing. This funding, part of a broader multi-year plan, will help local authorities acquire and build more homes, particularly for families at risk of homelessness. It’s a crucial move towards achieving Labour’s ambitious target of building 1.5 million homes over the next five years. By investing in council housing, we can tackle the housing crisis head-on, reduce homelessness, and create more stable communities. https://lnkd.in/emHk27Tb

The Federal Government has approved grants for the construction of 13,700 social and affordable homes as part of the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund which was established in September last year. Construction on 40 per cent of the homes will commence this year, putting the Government ahead of its target to build 40,000 homes in the first five years of the Fund’s operation. Of the approved homes, 4,220 will be social housing, where rent is set at a level affordable by those on low incomes; another 9,522 will be "affordable" homes, capped at three-quarters of market rent; and 1,267 are designated for women and children escaping family violence and older women at risk of homelessness. Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness Clare O’Neil MP said this is “the biggest investment in social housing in over a decade". Property Council of Australia has welcomed the announcement, saying “it represents an important milestone in the delivery of much-needed social and affordable housing".

Our call to action this election: Housing needs to be at the centre of the next government's policy offer. Poor housing quality causes homelessness, damages health and reduces opportunities in life. It contributes to carbon emissions and fuel poverty. The Chair of The Housing Forum's Board, Stephen Teagle: "With growing numbers of people homeless and priced out of a home of their own it is not surprising that housing has risen up the political agenda in recent years, and we are encouraged to hear the ambitions of all main parties to increase housebuilding and ensure more affordable homes are built. We urge all the political parties to put together ambitious policy proposals to unblock the planning system and to build capacity amongst housing providers and the wider sector. "We are calling for a Housing Accelerator Fund – this year – to tackle the affordable housing backlog. This would be a £4bn fund to provide 60,000 new affordable rented homes to reduce homelessness by more than half over three years and slash expenditure on temporary accommodation." https://lnkd.in/eyrPBpBw