Tasmania could be losing an opportunity to "make a real impact" in the housing and homelessness fight, a researcher has said. [Arguably the opportunity has been LOST and Tasmania's politicians' rhetoric is vacious and all so hollow]
In December last year Homes Tasmania was established, which was tasked with delivering the government's promised 10,000 social and affordable homes. [YES, and they are planning to build rather mediocre expensive lowest common denominator houses, that fit a 20th C MacBURBIA imaging in dysfuncional cultural landscapes]
Since then, the housing crisis has only worsened as cost of living pressures tightened their grip on families, interest rates continued to rise and house prices reached new record levels. [LARGELY ,This can be attributed to the INVESTMENT PARADIGM that drives government status quo thinking]
More Australians than ever are ditching rising rent and interest rates for cheap and sustainable alternative living in the form of 'tiny houses'. [YES, and it is a productive way forward BUT Local Govt planners, and Councillors too, just will not help facilitate TINYhouse investors occupy appropriate land]
At the opening of a new homelessness shelter in Devonport on Wednesday, December 13, Housing Minister Nic Street said the government was continuing to invest in services to address the crisis. [Hollow rhetoric and platitudes mouthed in the face of 'governance's' failures in the delivery homes for people in housing stress]
University of Tasmania welfare and policy researcher Kathleen Flanagan said the government's promise was welcomed and came "close to the ambition necessary" to address the state's housing and homelessness crisis. [Dr. Flanagan is generous given 'governance's' ineptitude in the face of crisis it has largely been ideologically driven and embedded in preservation of the status quo]
However, that is only if the majority of the 10,000 homes are social housing and not affordable housing, which are differentiated by how affordable they actually are for the poorest Tasmanians. [Again, Dr. Flanagan is generous in the face of 'governance's' ineptitude and the disconnects on display]
"If you're reliant on welfare, affordable housing is not affordable," Dr Flanagan said. [True Dr. Flanagan but it does seem that 'governance' has a vested interest in it being so]
"We need to get the focus on those who are right at the bottom of the market, for whom this is a recent crisis." [Actually this 'crisis' seems to be recent but the ideological need for an underclass has been in the background for quite some time]
She said that based on 2016 census data, Tasmania needed 11,000 new homes to overcome the housing crisis, so 10,000 homes was a strong promise, but by 2032 it would not be sufficient. [True Dr. Flanagan but it does look a lot like that there might be reasons to maintain the status given what those with authority are so reluctant to use it]
"It felt like they were finally recognising the scale of the problem," Dr Flanagan said. [Again, Dr. Flanagan is generous perhaps in the hope that it might be the case]
"If there's any slippage away from bricks and mortar social housing we lose the potential to make a real impact." [Perhaps some outside the box thinking is what is needed since the 'crisis' rages on informed by YESTERDAYthinking!?]
Mr Street said 1374 houses had been completed between November 2022 and November 2023, and that "at least" 2000 of the 10,000 homes will be social housing properties. [If we take a close look at what Govt is building they are not really 'HOMES' built in collaboration with the people who might have the capacity to turn a house into a home. Perhaps Minister Street might be willing to shed some light on the 'do it to them not with them' mindset detectable in his rhetoric here]
He said the government was delivering on its long-term plan, and that he was "proud" that it was making a significant difference to address the housing challenge. [Actually the Minister vhas precious little to be proud of and he needs to have a conversation with the people who are suffering here]
Labor has also committed to the promise of 10,000 homes by 2032, and leader Rebecca White confirmed the policy would be adopted if her party is in government after the next election. [We can only hope that Labor will bring a new mindset into Govt but more importantly, let us see the aspiring 'governors' consult with the experts ... the people trying to deal with the LOSS of their homes]
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