You don’t have to come out from under your rock – or rather, your overpriced rental – to know Sydney has a housing crisis. One proposed way to combat this is to increase the amount of social housing available – that is, government-subsidised long-term rental housing for those who cannot afford to rent due to issues such as low incomes or unstable housing circumstances.
Now, new research from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) has found that “not only is there a need for more social housing, but that housing must have good access to amenities”. The study looked at all the neighbourhoods where social housing has been built, as well as its access to amenities such as schools, public transport, healthcare and jobs. The research found that social housing is disproportionately concentrated in suburbs with less access to amenities, including the Canterbury-Bankstown and Western Sydney regions – and calls for a five per cent social housing requirement in areas with higher amenity access.
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To meet that target, the research says there will need to be 36 to 59 additional units in the following nine Sydney suburbs: Haymarket, North Bondi, Lavender Bay, Chatswood, Dee Why, Moore Park, Tamarama-Bronte, Randwick and Darling Point. North Avoca, which is on the Central Coast, was also identified as a priority area for social housing builds.
Some have said the “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) movement – residents opposed to new developments in their local community, even while they acknowledge the need for more housing – may be a hindrance to more social housing in those priority suburbs.
Speaking to the ABC, AHURI chief executive officer Michael Fotheringham said, “The idea that we have high concentrations of social housing in low socio-economic areas and almost none in higher socio-economic areas is problematic because it leads to systemic disadvantage.”
The study said that's because many social housing tenants don't have cars. "Easy access to services is very important for them. This is especially true for people with complex needs who need medical care and other support services."
Lord Mayor of Parramatta Martin Zaiter added: “Social housing is delivered and managed by the NSW government. We all need to play our part to ensure all housing is distributed fairly across the Greater Sydney region with the infrastructure needed to support our growing communities.”
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NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson noted the city’s housing system is a key priority for the government.
“For the first time NSW now has mandated affordable housing zoning across our city, as well as mandated social housing on surplus government-owned land,” Ms Jackson said.
“This work will take time but we are committed to fixing this fundamental part of our housing system and making our state fairer and more affordable for everyone.”
You can check out the full research here.