This session

							                                 Remaking social housing:
                               reflection on Australian and
                                   international experience




Dr Kath Hulse
Grad Certificate Residential 2005
Remaking social housing: the UK

  • Focus on home ownership initiatives
  • Funding for new social housing via housing associations
  • Large scale voluntary transfers (LSVT) of local government
    housing to housing associations
  • Affordable housing through planning regulations (Section
    106) – generates 20,000 units pa.
  • Social housing management: common housing registers,
    ‘choice based lettings’ and local allocation plans
                           Dwellings by tenure (UK) 1971-2004
                         80.0

                         70.0
% of private dwellings




                                                                     Owner occupied
                         60.0

                         50.0                                        Privately rented

                         40.0
                                                                     Rented from Registered
                         30.0                                        Social Landlords
                         20.0                                        Rented from Local
                                                                     Authorities
                         10.0
                          0.0
                                1971 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2004
Overseas experience (Canada)
• Focus on home ownership
• No new public housing after early 1970s – ‘not for profit’
  and cooperative housing
• Federal government – tried to get out of the business of
  social housing (post 1984, 1993) – bilateral social housing
  agreements;
• Some provinces also wanted to do this (esp Ontario);
• Homelessness ‘crisis’ – some re-engagement;
• Housing supply and affordability ‘crisis’ – bilateral
  affordable housing agreements
Overseas experience (US)
Emphasis has been on
• home ownership assistance
• block grant funding to local municipalities for community
  development (housing regeneration)
• tax credits to encourage supply of affordable housing
• housing vouchers
‘Welfare reform’
Housing and mobility
Overseas experience (New Zealand)

    • Commercialisation focus in the 1990s – market rents and
      sell down of public housing asset
    • Re-introduction of income related rents and a social
      allocation system (needs based) in 2001
    • Re-investment in capital – stock growth
    • Specific funding for initiatives such as ‘healthy housing’
      and ‘community renewal’
    • Different funding regime to Australia
Problems confronting the social housing
sector in Australia
     •   Policy ‘vacuum’
     •   Funding model not viable
     •   Growing demand – stock declining slowly
     •   Asset management problems (quality,
         location)
     •   Client and locational diversity
     •   Housing and non housing benefits of
         housing assistance not clear
     •   One size fits all model
     •   Staffing issues
The macro context

Major reform debates.
• New funding models, government bonds, tax
  credits
• New affordable housing models
• Housing Associations
• Public Private Partnerships
• Links between housing and planning, non
  shelter outcomes and ‘welfare reform’
The micro context
Rethinking service delivery
• Moving away from one size fits all models, eg
  allocations, rent setting;
• Retreat from generic skills to specialisation;
• Focus on local area integrated planning;
• Renewed emphasis on performance reporting
  and professional standards;
• Greater emphasis on community development
  and networking for non shelter outcomes
• Greater fluidity of housing worker roles and
  sectors
The ‘old’ social housing model and work

PHILOSOPHY AND                KEY WORKER TASKS
  DIRECTION
• Providing shelter for       • Tenant Management
  those in greatest need.     • Asset Management
• Targeting
• Stock realignment to need
• Maintenance and upgrade
The ‘new’ social housing model and
work
   PHILOSOPHY AND DIRECTION        KEY WORKER TASKS
   • Community sustainability      • Tenant Management
   • Tenants empowerment for non   • Asset Management
     shelter outcomes
                                   • Community development.
   • Support
   • Provision of affordable       • Net workers
     housing                       • Property development
   • Facilitation of new housing   • Project management
     organisations eg housing      • Social workers/counsellors
     associations
                                   • Advocacy
   • Flexibility and devolution
   • Professionalism               • Entrepreneurs
Summary
• Social housing has been ‘remade’ in various countries
• More diversity in financing, ownership, management, and
  models of housing/support
• Change is happening in Australia – albeit slowly –
  away from ‘one size fits all’ model
• Involves rethinking the role of governments
• Rate of change will be largely driven by financing
  arrangements