Inquiry into Affordable Housing

Parliament of Senate Economics References Committee Inquiry into Affordable Housing

1.0 Introduction Frankston City Council welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Parliament of Australia Senate Economics References Committee’s Inquiry into Affordable Housing.

Housing affordability is an important issue with potential to impact the wellbeing and connectivity of local communities. Frankston City Council is committed to ensuring that housing in the municipality is appropriate for the diversity of need within the community.

Frankston City Council, like all local governments, has a complex role in relation to housing, in particular affordable housing. Council has responsibilities in the planning and regulation of housing; in the development and regulation of the urban environment; in monitoring and fostering housing supply; as well as in advocating for vulnerable communities; and working with community service organisations involved in health and wellbeing, including homelessness.

1.1 Inquiry Framework In preparation of this submission, Frankston City Council has considered the Terms of Reference used by the Senate Standing Committees on Economics.

The major focus of this submission is on the policies relating to housing and homelessness of the Commonwealth and Victorian governments, how they positively affect local communities, and where their approach can to be altered to improve their effectiveness. The submission provides a particular focus on more vulnerable groups within the community, including women and children, socio-economically disadvantaged groups and adults with disabilities with ageing carers.

2.0 A Place Based Approach to Housing Policy Between 2006 and 2011 Australian governments have made significant commitments to social and affordable housing, both in one-off investments through the Australian Fiscal Stimulus Package, and in mid- to long-term commitments including the National Rental Affordability Scheme, the National Affordable Housing Agreement and the national partnership agreements that underpin it. Collectively, this represents a significant reversal in the long term trend of reduced investment in housing by Australian governments. Unfortunately, despite the increased funding, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics census, homelessness in Australia increased by 17.6% between 2006 and 2011, while housing affordability has decreased, particularly for renters1.

1 ABS Housing Occupancy and Costs, 2011-12.

Page | 1 Frankston City Council Inquiry into Affordable Housing

Frankston City Council contends that a targeted approach to funding through a place based approach to housing policy is required that ensures affordable housing is provided in areas of and for population groups of greatest need.

2.1 The National Affordable Housing Agreement The National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) has allowed important improvements in the provision of services to the homeless and housing insecure. Through NAHA, new programs have been implemented across the country, which have seen a renewed, innovative and coordinated effort to support the long-term homeless into meaningful housing, including via intensive outreach programs.

Meanwhile, the National Partnership Agreement on Social Housing (NPASH) has seen small, but much needed increases across the country in appropriate housing targeted to population need groups including the homeless, people with a disability, and those who have experienced family violence.

Aspects of the NAHA that demonstrate the significant value of a place based approach to the provision of housing and homelessness services, as well as the other aspects of NAHA that demonstrate the systematic inefficiencies that arise when considerations of place are not prioritised are discussed below.

The Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS), jointly funded by state and federal governments, provides an example of the importance of targeting that is not just place based, but that which continues to be cognisant of housing need by population group. By targeting services to the needs of particular population groups including people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and women and children affected by family violence, the SHS ensures that housing and homelessness support is available to those who would benefit most.

Further work indicative of the positive impact of a place based approach as per the NAHA is the Victorian government review of its housing and homelessness services framework. This resulted in the implementation of the ‘Opening Doors’ framework which provides a regional entry point for housing services in each recognised Department of Human Services local area. This targeted approach has been enormously effective in addressing place based need. The Frankston regional ‘open door’ assists over 2,200 clients per year – one for every 65 persons in the municipality. Place based service delivery is one of the most effective means of ensuring that local need is understood and addressed, and is critical to effective practice in housing and homelessness service provision. The ‘open door’ also broker the Housing Establishment Fund for the local area, assisting those in housing need to access the private rental market.

Unfortunately other elements of housing provision are not place based. This limits the benefits that can be achieved through the elements of NAHA that are locally focused such as the above mentioned ‘open door’, and intensive place based outreach programs. For example, Frankston lacks appropriate crisis housing, and as the metropolitan municipality with the highest level of family violence2, requires dedicated local women’s and children’s housing

Page | 2 Frankston City Council Inquiry into Affordable Housing

which is currently at inadequate levels. Existing services are inhibited by the lack of appropriate transition and crisis housing available to their clients. The NPASH did not provide any social housing in the local area which indicates that further integration of approaches to housing and homelessness are required if all parts of the sector are to support one another. In particular, Frankston City Council calls for a greater level of place based prioritisation, based around local need and conglomeration of house insecure groups in future housing policy.

2.2 The National Rental Affordability Scheme The market mechanisms favoured by the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) do not adequately address need when delivering publically funded affordable housing. Specifically, it is argued that locations with higher levels of need for affordable housing should be prioritised through the NRAS.

Housing developers are responsible for planning and delivering affordable housing through the current NRAS. This has resulted in the prioritisation of locations with potential future profitability of affordable housing developments; as opposed to locations with higher social needs.

NRAS funded properties are only required to provide accommodation at a marginally lower rate than the market rate. Further, a lower rental is required for the relatively short term of 10 years. These stipulations encourage the prioritisation of developments in locations where rents can be maximised – particularly after the 10 years has expired and the accommodation can be rented to households outside of the low and moderate income brackets. This in some cases creates an inequitable distortion in which ‘affordable housing’ is being developed for high income earners in areas where housing need is limited.

As the majority of urban neighbourhoods have at least some level of need for affordable housing, it is crucial that decisions in regard to the allocation of public funding for affordable and social housing developments are influenced by comparative local need to ensure that low- cost housing is available to those most in need of it.

3.0: Planning and policies that support vulnerable groups. 3.1 Women and children Women and children are reported by the local housing service sector as one of the most vulnerable groups within the community to experiencing inadequate housing, including homelessness. Within the City of Frankston, there are a range of complex needs that impact housing affordability and therefore access for vulnerable women and families. In particular these needs include family violence and breakdown, socio-economic disadvantage, and adult disability which require enduring and flexible responses that are integrated and coordinated across multiple sectors.

2 Keleher, H. (2012) Population Health Atlas Frankston Primary Care Partnership and Frankston-Mornington Peninsula Medicare Local

Page | 3 Frankston City Council Inquiry into Affordable Housing

Frankston has the highest rate of family violence 3in metropolitan . Family violence provides a key reason why women and children live within inappropriate housing and / or become homeless. There is also a higher proportion of one parent families within City of Frankston4 (14%) than across Greater Melbourne (10%). This indicates a higher rate of family breakdown often associated with associated poorer access to appropriate housing due to a greater likelihood of a lower family income.

The impact on children who have experienced inappropriate housing and / or homelessness can be significant. Instability of housing, particularly when combined with breakdown of the family unit and or socio-economic disadvantage can contribute to significant disruption to age and stage development of children and young people.

The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) which is a population based measure of how children have developed by the time they start school shows that young children within the City of Frankston are not developing as well as their Victorian peers. This is seen most strongly in suburbs experiencing higher levels of socioeconomic disadvantage such as Frankston North where in 2012, 34.9% of children in Grade Prep were reported by their teacher as developmentally vulnerable on two or more domains of the AEDI domains5. This compares poorly to the Victorian average of 9.5% of children.

To provide effective responses to such complex needs and issues, services need to be integrated and coordinated across multiple sectors to support access to appropriate and affordable housing as well as maintain a stable and safe home. Services need to be enduring and flexible so as to maintain access to housing in the long term and may include the integration of family violence, housing, education, training, justice, income support and counselling services.

3.2 Adults with disabilities Another highly vulnerable group within the City of Frankston in relation to affordable housing is adults with disabilities who have older carers. There is significant concern within the City of Frankston at the lack of specialist supported accommodation that can support the long term needs of adults with disabilities.

In a recent submission to Frankston City Council, the Frankston Peninsula Carers Association Inc. (FPCA), a group comprised of older carers of adult children, indicated that the lack of supported accommodation in the region is now a crisis. Older carers of adult children are finding as they age that they are no longer able to provide an appropriate level of care for their children. Many, having failed to secure supported accommodation for their children in past attempts, share a strong concern about what will happen to their adult children once the carers are deceased. An inability to secure necessary supported accommodation creates negative health outcomes, distress and social isolation for those living with a disability.

3 Keleher, H. (2012) Population Health Atlas Frankston Mornington Peninsula Primary Care Partnership and Frankston-Mornington Peninsula Medicare Local 4 http://profile.id.com.au/frankston/households-with-children 5 http://reports.aedi.org.au/community-results/vic/2012r2/22170.pdf

Page | 4 Frankston City Council Inquiry into Affordable Housing

For people with a range of disabilities, be they physical, intellectual or psycho-social, supported accommodation is the only appropriate housing option. The significant lack of appropriate accommodation for people with disabilities frequently results in many people with disabilities being housed in accommodation inappropriate to their needs. With the situation already in crisis, carers and people with disabilities of all ages are concerned for the future health and wellbeing of themselves and those whom they support.

4.0 Housing that is well managed and accountable to its objectives Frankston City Council recognises the significant challenges associated with the maintenance and management of public and social housing. However, community feedback indicates that existing Victorian government management programs of public housing are inadequate, and fail to accountably deliver the objectives of public housing policy. FaHCSIA identifies that Commonwealth housing policies are “a fundamental pillar of an inclusive and productive society”6. Unfortunately, underinvestment in property and tenant management have meant that rather than fostering inclusion in a meaningful sense, public housing provision can exacerbate the isolation of people who are most in need of support.

4.1 Property maintenance Public housing in is suffering from a large maintenance liability backlog7 affecting not just the amenity of the housing for those living in dilapidated housing, but also the tone of the streets and neighbourhoods in which public housing is situated.

Frankston City Council is dedicated to improving community acceptance of public housing, and seeks to work with the Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS) to improve communication with the community on new public and social housing developments. A major source of opposition from the community is the inadequacy of maintenance for public housing – a core responsibility of DHS. It is understood that Frankston City residents support the delivery of social and public housing within the municipality, but due to concerns over property and tenant management, often oppose it within their immediate neighbourhoods. It would be unfair to characterise this as ‘nimbyism’, as residents express specific concerns over the inadequacy of management by DHS, and given existing property maintenance backlogs have a reasonable expectation that these properties could become dilapidated over time. It is important that these properties are adequately maintained if residents are to become properly integrated within their communities.

4.2 Linking tenants with local service providers Frankston City Council further recognises a need for DHS to work more actively with their tenants and local service providers. Public housing is considered an appropriate form of housing for those in the community with high and complex needs. However anecdotal

6 http://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2013/fahcsia_portfolio_budget_statements_20 13-14.pdf, p.28 7 Parliament of Victoria (2010) Inquiry into the Adequacy and Future Directions of Public Housing in Victoria, Family and Community Development Committee, September 2010, p. 317.

Page | 5 Frankston City Council Inquiry into Affordable Housing

evidence suggests more needs to be done to connect these tenants with services to address and meet their needs. Where those with high and complex needs do not have access to essential services, results can include poorer quality of life and antisocial behaviours, with resulting implications for the amenity of neighbours and local residents. Where members of the community struggle to meet their own daily requirements, important considerations of basic property and lifestyle maintenance can be overlooked. Obvious indicators of this include inappropriate rubbish dumping and a failure to address graffiti. To ensure that housing policies meet their objective of fostering inclusion for residents within the community, it is crucial that a greater focus is given to tenant management. Frankston City Council strongly holds that DHS should play a more active role in ensuring that public housing tenants are linked in with the services that they require.

A major alternative to public housing for those with high and complex needs is the emergent market in rooming houses. Unfortunately, the needs of public housing tenants identified above are even more prevalent in rooming houses, where people with high and complex needs cohabitate. Frankston City Council calls for a coordinated approach to ensuring that residents of rooming houses are supported with wrap around services that are tailored to individual need and delivered through appropriate methods, such as assertive outreach; as well as 24 hour management of rooming houses to reduce the impact of potential antisocial behaviours on the wider community.

5.0 Conclusion Traditionally, the role of the federal government has been to provide capital funding for public housing in Australia, and of the state government to plan, provide and manage it. As the preferred direction of government has moved away from direct provision and toward funding for social housing, the role of planner has been largely vacated. Given the place based nature of locational disadvantage and intergenerational disadvantage, it is crucial that place based planning should occur if housing issues are to be effectively and efficiently resolved. Place based planning will support the allocation of public funding to the areas and population groups with greatest need.

Vulnerable groups, such as women and children, socio-economically disadvantaged and adults with disabilities need a greater level of support to access appropriate and affordable housing. Such support should be integrated and coordinated across a diversity of sectors as well as enduring into the medium and long term and flexible to individual needs. In addition, strategic planning is required to increase the availability and variety of accommodation options for vulnerable groups in the short, medium and longer term.

To ensure practical inclusion for public housing tenants within the community, it is crucial that property and tenant maintenance are improved upon. Public housing maintenance backlogs must be addressed, and cannot be allowed to recur. As public housing and rooming houses form a critical means of accommodation for members of the community with high and complex needs, it is essential that we ensure that tenant management is improved and service providers are linked in as supports.

5.1 Recommendations

Page | 6 Frankston City Council Inquiry into Affordable Housing

1. That future housing and homelessness policy consider the use of a place-based approach in directing provision to areas and population groups of greatest need.

2. The needs of women and children associated with affordable housing be supported through an integrated and coordinated approach that encompasses enduring and flexible support across a diversity of sectors, such as family violence, education, training, justice, income support and counselling services.

3. That the Australian and Victorian Governments produce and fund a long-term strategy for the adequate provision of a variety of models of supported accommodation for adults with a disability.

4. That maintenance backlogs in Victorian public housing should be redressed and not be allowed to recur.

5. That improvements be implemented in tenant management of both public housing and rooming house accommodation.

Page | 7 Frankston City Council