The ACT's peak social services council has again called on the territory government to divert $100 million from its coffers to fund more affordable housing in Canberra.
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It seems unlikely the ACT Council of Social Services will secure a pledge of such magnitude from Chief Minister Andrew Barr, after the rejection of such a diversion of funds in the past two budgets.
But Mr Barr's spokesman did point to Labor's 2016 election pledge to develop a new strategy to address housing affordability, to replace the existing strategy, which could yet lead to more funds being made available.
ACTCOSS executive director Susan Helyer said the funds could come from the ACT's $500 million bond investment.
She said if the fund was also run by community housing organisations in perpetuity, it could deliver the government an extra dividend in reduced costs in avoidable health and social problems linked to homelessness.
"One of the problems we've had in the past is that those houses earmarked for affordable housing have gone to the private sector, and it only takes one sale to take it out of community housing stock and become just another private rental," she said.
"We think putting that money into building a bigger housing affordability stock would also help the ACT improve outcomes across health and disadvantage, given how important it is for people to have stable housing to be able to build a better life."
The council has also urged the government to deliver more access to emergency housing; fund local housing groups to conduct research into the drivers of homelessness and get all territory government directorates to contribute at least one per cent of their budget to the affordable housing task.
While housing affordability is not an issue unique to the ACT, given the role of national investment and housing policies and a federal government not inclined to change such policies, it has become a contentious one due to a range of factors including steadily rising rents in the capital.
Mr Barr's spokesman said the government had set up the affordable rental scheme in an effort to ease the pressure, particularly on older residents, that helped eligible tenants to only "pay an affordable rate that reflects their capacity to pay".
He said under the new Labor-Greens parliamentary agreement, the government had pledged to develop a new affordable housing strategy, informed by research and consultations undertaken last year.
But affordability remains a key issue for many Canberrans struggling to stay in the rental market particularly.
The Anglicare national rental affordability snapshot released last year further showed only 41 properties, of 1497 rentals advertised, were available for a household living on income support "without placing them in housing stress" and only 205 rentals were similarly affordable for households on the minimum wage.
Ms Helyar said the government needed to do more, after an election that it won due to its "progressive policies".
"They won the last election because of their progressive policies, including on housing, despite the fact that they were on the nose and many people were suspicious of what was happening behind the scenes," she said.
"This city is full of people who understand the important of housing and other issues to social cohesion and reducing disadvantage, and this government's credibility would be lifted if they can do more to address these issues."
But Mr Barr's spokesman said the government had "worked hard to address the complex problems associated with housing stress and homelessness".
"This has included the issue of housing affordability for those on limited incomes, such as older people, who are more vulnerable to fluctuations in the housing market," he said.
"The government will continue to phase out stamp duty and will restructure the Land Development Agency to focus on affordable and efficient greenfield land release."
The council's latest call for the affordable housing fund came as part of its wider, extensive ACT budget submission, informed by community sector groups across the spectrum.
It also urged the government to also address a range of complex problems affecting the 28,000 Canberrans in what Ms Helyer said was the "most disadvantaged 40 per cent" of the city's population.
Among those issues were: improving public transport access; case management and early interventions for disadvantaged school students; a commitment to a specific "time frame" for the opening of the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm, expected to open late last year and to address gaps in services for Canberrans with disabilities.
"We do acknowledge how much the ACT government has done in these areas over the years," she said.
"But there is a deep understanding in our community of the need to help lift people out of poverty, homelessness and disadvantage and improve the cost of living and lives of those in the lowest 40 per cent, and we need to do more."
