Approximately 202,000 Australian households received assistance
last year with home purchase or private renting through the
Commonwealth State Housing Agreement (CSHA), according to reports
released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
(AIHW).
Head of the AIHW's Housing Assistance Unit, David Wilson, said
that $602 million was provided for home purchase assistance, while
$80 million was spent on private rent assistance.
'Home purchase assistance is usually provided as a loan, not a
grant', Mr Wilson said.
'These programs are designed to meet local needs facing State and
Territory housing agencies, as well as meeting national housing
priorities.
'Accordingly, the reports show that what is available and who is
eligible depends very much on which State or Territory you are
in.'
'Home purchase assistance provided by the States and Territories
under the Agreement included $586 million in direct lending, $1.8
million in deposit assistance, $10.5 million in interest rate
assistance, and $1 million in mortgage relief.'
'Of the $80 million spent on private rent assistance for 153,000
households across Australia, $46 million was in the form of loans
for rental bonds, while $28 million was for rental assistance. In
addition over $1.8 billion was provided by the Commonwealth through
Centrelink in Commonwealth Rent Assistance payments.'
The CSHA provided 3,258 dwellings for emergency accommodation at
30 June 2002 under its Crisis Accommodation Program (CAP), while
spending $41 million on additional dwellings or new
constructions.
Governments, churches and other welfare organisations use
CAP-funded dwellings to assist people in situations of actual or
impending crisis or homelessness. Support services to these
households are provided directly by health and community services
organisations, and the national Supported Accommodation Assistance
Program.
29 May 2003
Further information: David Wilson, AIHW, tel.
02 6244 1202
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of CSHA
National Data Reports 2001-02: Private Rent Assistance, Crisis
Accommodation Program, and Home
Purchase Assistance reports.