The main benefits to tenants living in community housing are
feeling more settled, being better able to manage money, and
continuing to live in the same area, according to a report released
today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Community housing is rental housing managed by non-profit
community-based organisations such as local government, and
religious and charity groups. It provides a range of safe, secure,
affordable and appropriate rental housing options for those whose
needs are less able to be met by the private sector.
Approximately 33,000 people in Australia live in community
housing, compared with 330,000 living in public housing provided
directly State and Territory governments.
The AIHW report, Community housing tenants: results from the
2007 National Social Housing Survey, based on the National Social
Housing Survey, provides a biennial snapshot of community housing
tenants in Australia.
It explores a range of issues including workforce participation
among community housing tenants and how people move into and out of
community housing.
The report showed that two-thirds of tenants were not actively
looking for work - mostly due to old age, ill health, disability or
a permanent medical condition.
Only 26% of tenants worked full- or part-time. Of those who were
underemployed - that is working, but wanting to work more - the
strongest influence on their underemployment was the need for
training, education or work experience.
'About 43% of tenants had been a resident of their current
community housing organisation for more than five years,' said
Tracie Ennis, Head of the AIHW's Housing Assistance Unit.
About 86% of tenants in boarding or rooming houses had been
there for more than six months, and more than 33% of those for more
than five years.
Tenants who were previously homeless or in private boarding
houses, generally had shorter stays in community housing, while
most of those who moved to community housing from public housing
had lived in their current community housing for more than 10
years.
Older tenants were more likely to come from private rental
homes, whilst younger tenants tended to have previously lived with
relatives or friends.
'Single, childless tenants accounted for more than half of
households, while one-fifth of households were single-parent
families,' said Ms Ennis.
'About two-thirds of the survey respondents were female,' she
added.
Government payments and pensions are the primary income source
for 78% of community housing tenants.
Canberra, 19 November 2008
Further information: Tracie Ennis, AIHW, tel.
02 6244 1073, mob. 0417 024 275.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. (02) 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications area
for the availability of Community housing
tenants: results from the 2007 National Social Housing
Survey.