Investment boost needed to address worrying social housing trends

The Geelong region is 7,000 homes short of its required housing stock for all residents to live in appropriate housing and can meet just a fraction of its social housing demand, according to housing advocates.

Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) partnered with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) for a research project to quantify Austrlia’s unmet housing need.

CHIA defines inappropriate housing as people experiencing homelessness, living in overcrowded homes or spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent.

The report found Surf Coast Shire met just 10 per cent of its social and affordable housing need through existing stock, while the City of Greater Geelong had 35 per cent of its required stock.

The data indicates the City of Greater Geelong is 6,500 properties short of its benchmark, or 6.1 per cent of its present housing stock, while Surf Coast Shire is 600 homes behind (4.6 per cent). The Borough of Queenscliffe returned too small of a sample size for reliable data.

Reports also found Geelong and the Surf Coast would require about 9,000 extra properties available by 2041 to meet the estimated need in two decades’ time.

CHIA acting chief executive officer Jess Pomeroy said the figures backed up previous evidence that an affordable rental crisis had accelerated since the start of COVID-19.

“We all have been seeing the same headlines about the challenges that people have been having in getting rentals, particularly regional Victoria and increasing cost of rentals.

“I don’t think anyone was surprised, but the numbers were probably bigger than we anticipated and really just underscores how challenging it’s become out there.”

Ms Pomeroy said a $5.3 billion Big Housing Build from the state government and recent commitments from the Commonwealth were positive signs for local community housing, but said policymakers must continue investing in the sector to address existing shortfalls.

“We also need the Victorian government to continue investing in social housing growth and and look at it really as infrastructure investment.

“So rather than this famine and feast funding cycle, that social housing has tended to have… we need to see regular annual investment into social housing that reflects sustained growth so we’re continuing to chip away at the numbers of households that are really struggling with affordable rentals.”

Ms Pomeroy said construction of a Commonwealth Games athletes’ village, slated to later become social housing, would help the region bridge its present demand shortage.