All Canberrans should welcome public housing into their communities and stop standing in the way of government plans to build more homes for people in need, the ACT's Housing Minister has said.
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Yvette Berry said the government was committed to delivering more public housing that met the different needs of its tenants.
"Help us on this journey, because every day that we're delayed in building public housing in this city is another day that people are waiting on the waiting list, they're experiencing homelessness, they're rough sleeping, they're escaping and leaving violent families and homes," Ms Berry said.
"We need to build more public housing and we need our community to help us to get there and welcome these people into their communities."
Common Ground Dickson, a social and affordable housing development of one-, two- and three-bedroom units for women and families, was formally opened on Friday.
Ms Berry said the government had learned it needed a diverse range of public housing options across the city, some with wrap-around support.
"Some people will need to live in public housing for life, that's just a fact of the matter; they'll have challenges and complex issues that can't be resolved. But we make sure that those supports are there if they need them. If they don't, we hope they live a good and happy life themselves with their families," Ms Berry said.
Common Ground Dickson, a 40-unit building designed by Collins Pennington architects, will be run by Community Housing Canberra and partners with YWCA Canberra to deliver support for tenants on site.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he saw an opportunity to deliver more public housing in the ACT now there was greater alignment with the federal government on housing policy.
"Part of the challenge is around pathways through the housing continuum," Mr Barr said.
"We've had a number of different models, with shared equity, to looking at build-to-rent to a range of other stepping points beyond some of the, I guess, very binary and traditional structures of housing assistance."
Mr Barr again pointed to surplus Commonwealth land holdings in the territory which could be freed up for housing, and said the territory should receive its fair share of housing investment from the federal government.
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Homelessness Minister Rebecca Vassarotti said providing a decent home for everyone was more than just a building.
"I think Common Ground is a really great example, an evidence-based model about what people need, particularly if they have experienced homelessness and really significant challenge in their lives," Ms Vassarotti said.
Common Ground Dickson will house people experiencing homelessness and will also have affordable rentals for low-income households, and allow people to transition to an affordable rental agreement if their financial situation improves without needing to move units.
Construction started on the project in 2020 and it was initially expected to be completed in 2021.
The project was approved in 2020 after Planning Minister Mick Gentleman used his "call-in" powers, bypassing any appeals.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
