Two reports released today by the Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare on public rental housing and state owned and managed
Indigenous housing show that social housing remains an important
source of accommodation for households whose needs cannot readily
be met by the private rental market.
The reports, Public rental housing 2005-06 and
State owned and managed Indigenous housing 2005-06,
provide overviews of mainstream and Indigenous-specific public
rental housing in Australia.
'Almost all new allocations under the mainstream and
Indigenous-specific programs (99.7% and 99.3% respectively) have an
income below the Centrelink cut off points,' said Ms Tracie Ennis
of the AIHW's Housing Assistance Unit.
'The majority of households therefore pay less than full market
rent, with an average reduction of $83 per week for mainstream
housing and $82 a week for Indigenous-specific households,' she
said.
The public rental housing report shows that those households
considered to be in 'greatest need' made up 62% of the households
accommodated within three months of submitting their application.
This covers people who were either homeless, their life or safety
was at risk in their current accommodation, they had a health
condition that was aggravated by their current accommodation, their
housing was inappropriate to their needs, or they had very high
rental costs.
About two-thirds (60%) of all new households in the mainstream
program and almost half (49%) of all new Indigenous-specific
program allocations were made to people considered to have a
special need such as a disability.
The number of Indigenous families housed under the mainstream
program increased since 2004-05 from 3,500 to 3,661. This brings
the total number of Indigenous households in mainstream and
Indigenous-specific housing to 33,527 at 30 June 2006, an increase
of 758 households over the previous year.
'Tenant satisfaction was generally high, with three quarters of
households under the mainstream and indigenous-specific programs
rating their homes as meeting their most important needs.
'This included the size of the dwelling, modifications for
special needs, ease of access, car parking, yard space and fencing
and the privacy, safety and security of their home,' Ms Ennis
said.
In addition to these programs, private rent assistance is
provided through Centrelink's Rent Assistance payments and also
through the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement. Other important
areas of housing assistance include home purchase assistance,
community housing and crisis accommodation.
18 December 2006
Further information: Tracie Ennis, AIHW tel. 02
6244 1073 or mob. 0418 271 395
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Public rental housing
2005-06 and State owned and managed
Indigenous housing 2005-06.