Brotherhood of St Laurence and Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services Housing Roundtable 13 May 2009 Brotherhood of St Laurence &Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services Housing Roundtable 13 May 2009 notes Attendance: Brian Howe (chair), Chair of the Disability Housing Trust, DHS & Professorial Associate, Centre for Public Policy, University of Melbourne Speakers & respondents: Richard Wynne MP (speaker), Minister for Housing, Local Government & Aboriginal Affairs Julian Disney (speaker), Professor & Director, Social Justice Project, Faculty of Law, UNSW Kate Colvin (respondent), Policy and Public Affairs Manager, VCOSS Michael Lennon (respondent), CEO, Housing Choices Australia Tony Dalton (respondent), Professor of Urban & Social Policy, Global Studies, Social Science & Planning, RMIT University Participants: Peter Andrews, Housing Manager, Social Housing Victoria Toby Archer, Policy & Liaison, Tenants Union Victoria Jane Barnes, Manager, Adult Services, Salvation Army Tony Barnett, Research & Policy Manager, Brotherhood of St Laurence Fr Joe Caddy, CEO, Centacare Melbourne Julia Canty-Waldron, General Manager, Client Services, HomeGround Chris Chamberlain, Assoc. Professor & Director, Centre for Applied Social Research, RMIT Ray Cleary, CEO, Anglicare Victoria Margaret Crawford, Director of Housing and Executive Director Housing and Community Building, DHS Mark Dall, Director National Building & Jobs Planning, DHS Preeti Daga, Community Housing Ltd Erica Flentje, A/Manager, Research & Policy, Hanover Welfare Services Greg Flynn, General Manager, South East Housing Co-operative Ltd Janet Goodwin, Manager, South Port Community Housing Group Inc Ainslie Hannan, Electoral Officer, Federal Member for Melbourne David Hayward, Professor & Dean, Faculty of Business and Enterprise, Swinburne University Heather Holst, A/Manager, Homelessness Policy and Partnership Development Housing & Community Building, DHS Michael Horn, Senior Manager, Research & Policy Centre, Brotherhood of St Laurence Bishop Philip Huggins, Chair, Brotherhood of St Laurence Board Kath Hulse, Director, Swinburne-Monash Research Centre, AHURI Kate Incerti, Team Leader, Housing & Homelessness, City of Port Phillip Helen Kimberley, Research & Policy Manager, Brotherhood of St Laurence 1 Brotherhood of St Laurence and Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services Housing Roundtable 13 May 2009 Myra Kitchenman, Yarra Community Housing Peter Lake, Homelessness services, Office of Housing, DHS Kathy Landvogt, Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services Jeanette Large, Director, Victorian Women’s Housing Association Ltd Rob Leslie, CEO, Yarra Community Housing Jeff Lyons, Housing Manger, St Kilda community housing Paul Madden, StCH Alison McClelland, Executive Director, Strategic Policy, Research & Forecasting, DPCD Jac Nancarrow, Homeless Support Services, DHS Stephen Nash, CEO, Home Ground Claire Nyblom, General Manager, Homelessness Services, Melbourne Citymission Mark O’Brien , CEO, Tenants Union of Victoria Cr Frank O’Connor, Mayor, City of Port Phillip Laurel Papamihail, Tenancy Team Leader, SASHS Western Sharon Paten, CEO, Aboriginal Housing Victoria Kristine Philipp, (Coordinator & scribe), Office Manager, Research & Policy Centre, Brotherhood of St Laurence Jenny Plant, General Manager, Crisis Services, Salvation Army Brian Pound, Executive Officer, Community Housing Federation of Victoria Rhonda Pryor, CEO, Ringwood Area Lions Aged Care (RALAC) Barry Pullen (convenor), Policy & Research consultant, Good Shepherd youth & family services Marcus Spiller, Director, SGS Economics and Planning Sarah Toohey, Energy Policy Officer, VCOSS Eloise Tregonning, Hanover Welfare Services Deb Tsorbaris, Executive Advisor, Homelessness Reform, Office of Housing, DHS Anne Turley, CEO, Melbourne Citymission Jim Williamson, Community Services, Brotherhood of St Laurence David Wright-Howie, CEO, Council of Homeless Persons Victoria Apologies: Tony Nicholson, Executive Director, Brotherhood of St Laurence Paul Smyth, General Manager Research & Policy Centre, Brotherhood of St Laurence Johan Schefer MP, MLC for Eastern Victoria Introduction & acknowledgement of traditional owners: Brian Howe 2 Brotherhood of St Laurence and Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services Housing Roundtable 13 May 2009 (Chatham house rules) Panel speakers Professor Julian Disney, Director, Social Justice Project, Faculty of Law, University of NSW Public - private housing and jobs (Powerpoint presentation) Commonwealth funding for housing initiatives in Victoria, NSW & SA, and implementation of Federal & State housing funding as key focus towards four year growth plan (see powerpoint). $7 billion national funding July 2008 – June 2012; consisting of NRAS funding and growth fund 2008, and stimulus package 2009. Limits regarding State housing. Past focus on funding available and type of provider – outcomes as principal targets; point of view of residents (not type of provider). Key definitions – current terminology misleading; ie. social housing term to be junked as it deters private sector involvement. Many new schemes don’t require public tenants. “Hand-out” for welfare reasons gives an impression of highly subsidised housing options. Generic term preferred: Affordable Housing programs. Preference for alternative terminology; eg. “disadvantaged households”. Deep affordability for a long period justifies increased subsidy. Different types of housing; different sources of funding – interaction; growth target – 72,000. Stimulus package Commonwealth funding “business as usual” – combination at State & Commonwealth levels. Highly targeted from public housing waiting lists and full government funding. How to use funding well enough to reduce Treasury opposition to fund housing in future? For example government funding for National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS): http://www.qchc.asn.au/Portals/0/Uploads/Affordable%20Housing/nras_prospectus.pdf Only change-managed housing by non-profit sector, rather than government managed stock. Type of tenant now – high need; lesson of over-targetting too many deeply disadvantaged tenants – stigma. Reducing public housing waiting lists? Raising income scale? Increases in household income? Social mix households? What is driving housing reform policy? Rent levels? Who will the tenants be? Diversity and flexibility in housing mix? Sale of housing in future? Mentioned in government housing scheme but no specifics. 3 Brotherhood of St Laurence and Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services Housing Roundtable 13 May 2009 Linkage between stimulus package and NRAS. Apprehensive regarding roll-out; $6 bill on 20,000 houses – very low ratio. NRAS realised scope of problem needing private investment. Rent discount most valuable. Creaming effect does not help those most in need. Drive link between stimulus funding and NRAS funding plus private investment as combined (not in same dwelling) but in housing projects such as two dwellings next door to each other. Richard Wynne MP, Minister for Housing, Local Government & Aboriginal Affairs Future implications and the Victorian position For more than a decade, housing was off the Federal government policy agenda. Now back as urban planning & housing, Anthony Albernese portfolio as Minister for Infrastructure and Local Government. Extraordinary period of government (Federal and State) support; ie. Brumby government commitment in 2006 of $500 million to affordable housing; PM’s homelessness priority and stimulus housing package. Victorian perspective – NAHA not a show stopper; extra social housing funds for homeless. Commonwealth $1.6 billion funding - $100 million towards renovation of existing stock; remaining funding to housing stimulus package; intervention to rooming houses upgrade $17 million (eg. Gertrude Street accommodation). Marginal local public housing stock funding upgrades to lengthen life of buildings. Refer to: http://www.richardwynne.net/?cat=13 Commonwealth government stimulus aimed at achieving outcomes such as economic, employment (building industry) and social. Use of $1.5 million funding – half for Housing Associations and half for (public) affordable housing. Infrastructure and planning – decrease in government housing stock; one third regional housing; two thirds urban housing. Round 1 – stock new built (eg. house & land packages – modest funding); Round 2 – 75% of funds to be spent by December 2010 (5,000 units). Housing Associations are important vehicle. Planning framework – private/public housing opportunities; for example projects such as Docklands merchant development (mix of affordable and private housing) via Melbourne Affordable Housing - http://www.melbourneaffordablehousing.com.au/ Inclusionary zoning in practice has sparked the interest of other housing developers. NRAS to play a role with Housing Associations; eg. NRAS and stimulus funding initiatives. Victorian low allocations but funding earmarked for NRAS innovative value-added stimulus package. Fifty per cent of funding for public/social housing. An example of a public housing project in development in Fitzroy – children’s hub as a Brotherhood partnership with employment opportunities. Housing Association development mix of opportunities and strategic use of stimulus funding. 4 Brotherhood of St Laurence and Good Shepherd Youth & Family Services Housing Roundtable 13 May 2009 Tensions – social justice; managing politics; managing need (ie. housing lists/residents needs). Practical department difficulties such as common waiting lists (State/Federal). Leveraging question