Submission to the Inquiry into the Adequacy and Future Directions of Public Housing in

By: The Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Triple A Housing Policy Reference Group

This submission is submitted to the Family and Community Development Committee, Victorian Parliament, on behalf of the Mornington Peninsula Shire’s (MPS) Triple A Housing Policy Reference Group [1]. The submission addresses subject areas as outlined in the Parliament of Victoria’s Terms of Reference and has endeavored to make a positive contribution to an appraisal of the public housing sector in the MPS.

BACKGROUND Mornington Peninsula Shire (MPS) is located at the fringe of ’s outer southern suburbs, between 40 and 80 kilometres south of the Melbourne CBD. Mornington Peninsula is bounded by Frankston City and the in the north, in the east, in the south and Bay in the west. Mornington Peninsula includes a total of 40 towns with a current estimated total population of approximately 145,000. The population is estimated to increase to more than 157,000 by 2016.

Notable characteristics of the residential population include substantial concentrations of older people in specific areas, especially within the Southern Peninsula; increasing numbers of one parent families in some communities and high concentrations of young families in areas with new housing developments, There are also some disparities between towns of populations with high and low income, level of tertiary education and training, and rate unemployment/employment. The Shire as a whole has a less culturally diverse make up than the Melbourne Statistical Division (MSD).

Mornington Peninsula Shire is an urban and rural area, with resort towns, tourist development and some commercial, industrial and port areas. Much of the rural area is used for farms, orchards and market gardens. The Shire encompasses a total land area of about 724 square kilometres, including over 190 kilometres of coastal boundaries. The majority of the residential population is clustered along the coastline of Port Phillip Bay, between Mount Eliza and Dromana.

The Shire is one of Melbourne’s major holiday and retirement areas and second home to many thousands of additional households from Melbourne and surrounds that make regular holiday and weekend visits seeking the health giving properties and recreational opportunities of the beautiful beaches, landscapes and natural environments. The residential population can swell by more than 30% during holiday and peak summer periods, mostly in the southern bayside towns from Dromana to Portsea. This places added pressure on an already inadequate housing system for low income households as they a squeezed out of the housing market not just by annual increased housing prices and rentals throughout the year but by seasonal pressures. Recently the gentrification process where developers are building units in place of old homes on large blocks, or turning blocks of units into townhouses, has pushed many elderly poorer people out into homelessness. Caravan park redevelopment has also dislodged poorer permanent residents.

[1] DHS representatives on the Triple A Housing Policy Reference Group are not able to endorse this submission. The Mornington Peninsula Shire has a long history in actively seeking to improve housing outcomes for households on the Peninsula. In has been involved in supporting Habitat for Humanity housing, partnerships with Office of Housing through elderly persons’ units and through the previous Local Government and Community Housing Program funded by the Commonwealth for emergency housing), providing a site for a youth housing/hostel, working with community housing associations to attract Nation Building funding, supporting the development of Rooming Houses, monitoring the loss of traditional caravan parks, preparing Housing Needs data and investigating homelessness on the Peninsula. The Shire has an active Housing Reference Group and in June 2002 the Shire adopted the following policy statement.

MPS’S TRIPLE A HOUSING POLICY STATEMENT

Local Government seeks to contribute to the development and maintenance of diverse, viable and sustainable communities. Economic, social, environmental and cultural factors all impact on the creation of these communities, including the availability of housing to meet the diverse range of housing needs. The importance of housing is also well recognised as one of the principal indicators of the state of well being in a community at many different levels including the United Nations Human Rights framework:

“Access to safe and healthy shelter is essential to a person’s wellbeing and should be a fundamental part of national and international action. The right to adequate housing as a basic human right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. “

Agenda 21, United Nations World Conference on Environment and Development, June 1992

The Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Triple A Housing Policy has been inspired by this vision and developed in support of the Shire’s Community Plan. The Policy aims to contribute to the achievement of the Shire’s Mission which includes the provision of services and infrastructure that responds to the needs of the Peninsula’s diverse community, and to put into operation the values expressed in the Community Plan. Particular attention has been given to the stated objectives of valuing our diverse communities, responsiveness to community needs and equity of access. The keynote statement for the policy is as follows:

“The Mornington Peninsula Shire believes that both the Federal and State governments have primary responsibility for ensuring the rights of people to access affordable and appropriate housing. However, the Shire recognises that, to give effect to its own stated values local government, in partnership with local communities, other agencies and levels of government, can also play a role in enabling the fulfilment of these rights. The Shire is therefore committed to facilitating a range of housing options and services in the Mornington Peninsula that achieves more affordable, appropriate and available housing outcomes to sustain our diverse communities. Particular consideration is given to vulnerable households of low income, young people, older people, people with disabilities, single parent and single person households, and people of non-English speaking or indigenous backgrounds.”

This approach is driven by the Shire’s main goal of promoting a range of housing options and services in the Mornington peninsula that achieves more affordable, appropriate and available housing outcomes that sustains our diverse communities. The Shire’s goal is underpinned by the following 5 key objectives:

– To monitor housing needs and trends on Peninsula on an ongoing basis. Review of Shire housing/development policies;

– To plan and promote housing in the Shire of good design, quality and standard, that is accessible to services and facilities, respects neighbourhood character, minimises environmental impact, compliments the natural environment and is affordable and secure;

– To encourage and support the provision of a range of housing options and designs that sustains and enhances our diverse communities ;

– To advocate for more affordable and appropriate housing; and

– To facilitate the provision of housing information and services. A. PUBLIC HOUSING WAITING TIMES IN MORNINGTON PENINSULA

The following information is contained in the draft Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Housing Needs Statement (Nov. 2009) and provides evidence of the demand for public housing and an indication of the need for an increase in appropriately designed and well located public housing.

PUBLIC HOUSING APPLICATIONS

As of 30th April 2009 there were 977 applications for public housing for the Mornington Peninsula comprising the following:

Household types: Dwelling Requirement:

1 Couples 12 bedroom 455 2 Couples with children 42 bedroom 297 3 Group Households 41 bedroom 181 4 Older Couple 45 bedroom 43 5 Older single 180 bedroom 1

Single Parents 375 TOTAL 977 Singles 264 Youth 18

TOTAL 977

[2] DHS has not officially endorsed these figures previously provided to the Shire’s Housing Needs Study and was unable to provide current figures before the date this submission was due.

PUBLIC HOUSING WAITING TIME ESTIMATES Applicants are divided into: Mornington Peninsula Broadband – Mt. Eliza to Rye and Western Port Broadband - Baxter to Flinders.

Where applicants can prove homelessness, risk of homelessness or high support needs they may be granted a priority application. Waiting times for priority applicants vary from 6 months to 3 years, as detailed below, whereas waiting times for normal wait turn applicants is listed in table below.

SEGMENT ONE – applicants experiencing homelessness and at high risk. Approx. waiting time: 6-12 months.

SEGMENT TWO – applicant requires major modification requirements and supported by/referred by support agencies. Approx. waiting time: 6 – 18 months.

SEGMENT THREE – General homelessness. Approx. 1- 3 years wait. [4]

[4] Estimates provided by local Housing Support Agencies. For people eligible for Early Housing in Elderly Persons units, the waiting period has been shorter in most areas due to the natural turnover of tenants.

Also local Office of Housing staff has worked collaboratively with local housing and support organizations to assist housing elderly clients when local facilities have closed e.g. a Caravan Park in Rosebud and Rooming Housed in Seaford and Rosebud. This collaborative response has resulted in good public housing outcomes and averted homelessness for the residents concerned.

SEGMENT FOUR Applicants for public housing unable to obtain a priority allocation join the normal wait/ turn list and can expect the following waiting times:

AREA Elderly 1 BR – 2BR 3BR 4 BR incl. over 55 Mornington Single – 10 yrs Indefinite Indefinite Indefinite Indefinite Peninsula Couple - Broadband Indefinite .

Westernport Single – 4 yrs. Indefinite Indefinite Indefinite 7 years Broadband Couple- 7 yrs.

N.B. Waiting times estimated to be more than 10 years appear as “Indefinite”.

[5] DHS has not officially endorsed these figures previously provided to Shire’s Housing Needs Study and was unable to provide current waiting times before the date this submission was due.

B. THE IMPACT ON INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES OF WAITING TIMES TO ACCESS PUBLIC HOUSING AND HOW THIS VARIES BY EACH SEGMENT;

Generally waiting times for public housing are extremely long unless applicants can obtain priority allocation and enter public housing through Segment one to three.

SEGMENT ONE – Long wait for a person/family who have no other feasible option for housing causes considerable hardship .Applicants at high risk of physical and mental abuse and deterioration of health. Unable to re-enter education or employment. Housing support agencies report improved response time for segment one applicants in recent months.

SEGMENT TWO –Very long wait for a person/family who have no other feasible option for housing and have support needs. Applicants generally surviving in sub standard, crowded and temporary housing impacting on health and quality of life. Unable to re-enter education or employment.

SEGMENT THREE –Applicants generally surviving in sub standard, crowded and temporary housing impacting on health and quality of life. Unable to re-enter education or employment. SEGMENT 4 - Waiting times for 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom dwellings are particularly high which is indicative of the lack of 1 and 2 bedroom housing stock across the Shire. The impact of the extraordinarily long waiting times on people applying for housing through Segment 4 has implications for life opportunities as alternative affordable housing is not readily available. Expensive housing impacts on health, education and employment opportunities. In the majority of household types the applicant would give up on ever receiving public housing

C. THE ADEQUACY, QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF VICTORIAN PUBLIC HOUSING.

Of the total of 78,629 residential units on the Mornington Peninsula, there are 1112 public housing houses and units which constitute approximately 1.4% of the total housing stock. [Source: Mornington Peninsula Shire Rates Office]

This is well below the state average of 2.7% for the MSD. [Source: – id demographers, based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2006Census data].

The quality of public housing on the MP is generally reasonable to good. Older persons units in Fleet Street, Mornington which are sub-standard are scheduled for re-development. Other older units in Main and Murray Streets, Mornington will require refurbishment in the near future and should aim for an improved quality of living. In light of the increase in housing purchase prices and escalating rents and low vacancy rates the demand for public housing has never been higher. However with only 1.4% of the total housing stock it is insufficient to meet the growing demand for affordable housing. While some community housing may assist in meeting the needs of higher functioning households, the needs of the most disenfranchised individuals and families with higher needs are often best met through public housing.

D. THE SAFETY AND LOCATION OF VICTORIAN PUBLIC HOUSING AND PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES.

Generally speaking, Mornington Peninsula public housing stock is located close to public transport, services and shopping centres.

The West Park housing estate in Hastings was previously the subject of criticism as it was constructed on the outskirts of the township approximately 2 kms from the shopping centre, however community development activities including Neighborhood Renewal, Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services Community House and the Wallaroo Child Care and Kindergarten in addition to public transport and the Shire’s Dial a Bus service has assisted in alleviating problems of isolation and dislocation. Neighborhood Renewal and Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services in particular has been successful in building social capital and community capacity and shown the benefits of social and physical investment.

Safety issues in public housing /estates are not reported as being a significant issue on the Mornington Peninsula at this time. Discussion with local police suggests to develop a better understanding of law and order issues in public housing estates it would be worthwhile to have a separate process and including a Forum involving local police to discuss these matters in greater detail.

E. THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC HOUSING NEED ON SPECIFIC GROUPS, INCLUDING WOMEN, SENIORS, THE HOMELESS, INDIGENOUS VICTORIANS, REFUGEES, PEOPLE WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND/OR DISABILITY.

The lack of public housing and long waiting times has a considerable negative impact on all households in housing need.

The lack of available, appropriate and accessible housing for people on the Mornington Peninsula is particularly problematic for people with a mental illness, and disability, women fleeing domestic violence, single parents, older people, youth and indigenous families.

People With Mental Illness The lack of public housing for people with mental illness has resulted in a reliance on unregistered rooming house accommodation, sleeping rough in short term accommodation and extended periods of homelessness including sleeping under beach sheds dotted along the foreshore. These people are very vulnerable and are often in high risk environments.

Women Fleeing Domestic Violence The availability of appropriate accommodation is a critical factor in women’s decisions about whether or not to leave a violent situation, particularly the cost of alternative accommodation, safety, location and tenure. For women with children these decisions may be more complex, with changes having to be made to school and childcare arrangements and loss of connection to local community and support networks. Disruption to children’s education due to frequent movement is demonstrated to result in poor educational outcomes. Balancing the level of disruption to their lives can sometimes result in women staying in violent situations.

Older People Emergency Housing services have reported a recent trend which has seen an increasing number of older people presenting at their services who for whatever reason haven’t achieved the great Australian dream of home ownership and are anxiously awaiting public housing and have increasing difficultly meeting high rents in private market. Rent increases and changes to existing housing by developers account for many long term residents being forced to leave their rental homes where they have lived for years, their advancing years and poor finances make finding another property to rent an impossible process.

Caravan Parks As of November 2009 it is estimated there are at least 650 permanent residents living in Caravan Parks/Residential Villages. The vast majority of these residents are over the age of 65 years of age and while some claim this is a lifestyle choice many have opted for permanency in a Movable Dwelling as it is the only affordable long term option available to them.

A recent trend on the Mornington Peninsula has been the closure of caravan parks and the re-development of the land as holiday units. This has resulted in the displacement of older people, singles and people with disabilities who had previously relied on this form of accommodation in the absence of suitable public housing, which has required emergency response work from the Community Health and Emergency Housing Service workers to arrange alternative accommodation.

F. CONCLUSION

Recent funds approved for public housing via the Commonwealth Government’s Economic Stimulus Package Nation Building program were significant and applauded by the Triple A Housing Reference Group however these funds have been targeted at re-developing existing stock and while this will result in a small increase in the total number of bedrooms, much more is required to meet the growing need.

The increasing costs of private sector housing, both purchase and rental, combined by a gap between supply and demand is resulting in a growing housing affordability problem which would best be offset by a growth in the non profit sector if we are to have any chance of meeting the needs of our diverse communities.

The increased demand for housing related assistance reported by all Local Service agencies is a testament to the need for increased affordable housing. [See Draft MPS Housing Needs Statement].

The supply of public housing on the Mornington Peninsula is well below the state average and requires an injection of Government funding. While Community Housing is viewed as essential part of boosting affordable housing supply it is not viewed as a response to growing demand from the more disadvantaged members of the community. The pressure on Registered Housing Associations and other community housing providers to be economically viable means they cannot and do not assist people with high needs, such as people with mental illness. Nor can the community housing sector be expected to meet growing need for accessible and adaptable housing for older people and people with disabilities. It is therefore imperative that public housing forms the core of the affordable housing sector.

Similarly suggestion of selling off or transferring public housing to Registered Housing Associations would not assist disadvantaged groups and is not a strategy that would be broadly endorsed by our Committee, nor would this strategy guarantee an increase stock numbers.

To assist in actioning improved affordable housing outcomes the Victoria Government in co-operation with Local Governments needs to investigate strategies for Community Engagement to inform the broader community about the benefits of affordable housing and to obtain the support of communities for affordable housing developments. If all else fails fast tracking of affordable housing as undertaken with Nation Building projects may be required to assist in provision of public and community housing.

In conclusion it is crucial that public housing continues to be the central platform of the Federal and State Governments affordable housing strategies within the review of public housing as commissioned by the Family & Community Development Committee, Parliament of Victoria.

RECOMMENDATIONS • Recommend an increase in public housing stock on the Peninsula to equal the metropolitan average of 2.7% of overall housing stock • Funding a national housing advocacy body such as National Shelter to play a role in policy development, information and advice for community and local government sector to improve housing outcomes

• Incentives for local governments in planning and social justice areas to improve housing outcomes for particularly low income groups.

Peter Sibly Housing & Social Justice Officer MPS Housing Reference Group.