Advocates call for social housing investment as ACT government prepares to announce measures next month

It follows calls from Canberra housing organisations who have urged ACT and federal governments to invest in social and community housing in the territory.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr indicated in June investment into social housing would be included in the government's coronavirus support packages but housing advocates have expressed frustration an announcement had yet to be made.

A government spokeswoman remained coy on what the August announcement for social housing would entail.

Groups have said funding into social and community housing investment would create construction jobs for the territory and the extra dwellings would help fill a demand for social housing.

This demand would only be exacerbated by the coronavirus crisis, Havelock Housing Association chief executive Andrew Rowe said.

"It is expected that in coming months there will be an increase in the demand for social and community housing as more families and individuals find themselves in severe housing stress and at risk of losing their homes," he said.

"The forecast increased in demand for social and community housing can't be met with the current stock. As a community housing provider we know that we need to build more community housing but cannot make more homes available without genuine commitment and better support from the ACT government."

But the federal government could also help to fund an extra 600 dwellings in Canberra, according to one proposal.

The federal government was widely criticised by some economists and special industry groups for excluding social housing from its $670 million HomeBuilder package.

A proposal from the Community Housing Industry Association would see the construction of 30,000 new social housing dwellings over four years.

The Social Housing Acceleration and Renovation Program (SHARP) has proposed federal government investment for community housing providers to build new dwellings. It would follow a similar scheme introduced by the Rudd government after the 2008 global financial crisis.

According to analysis by SGS Economics and Planning, SHARP would see 600 new dwellings in the ACT and up to 600 construction jobs could be retained.

Community Housing Canberra chief executive Andrew Hannan would like the government to lobby for investment into social housing at a national level.

He also called on the territory government to commit to a program if the federal government did not.

"CHC calls for the ACT government to actively lobby for SHARP at national cabinet and be prepared to co-invest with the federal government if SHARP or a similar program is announced later this year," Mr Hannan said.

"Absent any federal government announcement, CHC calls for the ACT government to leverage key scheme design elements to implement a standalone ACT-level program."

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Mr Hannan said there were shovel-ready projects that would be boosted by funding.

"Across the community housing providers here in the ACT there are close to 100 shovel-ready projects," he said.

"These can mobilised quickly and the land is there. The development applications are in place to get moving immediately."

A spokeswoman for Housing Minister Yvette Berry said the ACT government would lobby the Commonwealth for investment into social and community housing.

She said Ms Berry would soon be meeting with federal government Housing Minister Michael Sukkar.

The ACT Council of Social Service and ACT Shelter also called for investment into social housing last month.

"Investment in social housing must be at the centre of the ACT's community and economic recovery from COVID-19," ACTCOSS chief executive Emma Campbell said at the time.

"It would help keep and create jobs while addressing the needs of growing numbers of people who are facing housing stress because of COVID-19."