Ian McDermott (he/him)’s Post

Next issue:- To continue about my 96 year old Mum: 3 east europeans dressed in black turn up to fit heat sensor; first time I heard Mum say she was intimidated. Why 3 guys to fit sensor (initially said it was a smoke detector so did not know what they were supposed to be doing). When they left the kitchen light no longer worked and my Mum had to call out an emergency AGAIN. Electrician comes and basically says its not first time he has had a call out to fix problems; who vets the competence of these people? It also seems that for all trades there may be one person on call to cover a huge area. In what world does it make sense for a tradesman to come from Northampton to fix a problem in Potters Bar? Anecdotally these problems are NOT unusual, so does senior management actually know what happens on the ground? Certainly does not sound like it. These things have completely knocked my Mums confidence and unnecessarily so. Seems to me some serrious review of what actually is happening is required along with some empathy awareness

🔔 The latest Budget measures are here to make housing more accessible for all Australians: 1️⃣ $1 billion for crisis & transitional accommodation, focusing on support for women, children, & youth. This includes a major boost from $175 million to $700 million in grants. 2️⃣ Another $1 billion to speed up home building. This will fund essential infrastructure like roads and sewers to facilitate new homes and social housing. 3️⃣ A groundbreaking $9.3 billion 5-year National Agreement on Social Housing & Homelessness. This will double Commonwealth homelessness funding to $400 million annually, matched by states and territories, to fight homelessness and enhance social housing. 🏡 #housingaustralia #socialhousing #Budget2024 #landdevelopment #swoopland

🔔 The latest Budget measures are here to make housing more accessible for all Australians: 1️⃣ $1 billion for crisis & transitional accommodation, focusing on support for women, children, & youth. This includes a major boost from $175 million to $700 million in grants. 2️⃣ Another $1 billion to speed up home building. This will fund essential infrastructure like roads and sewers to facilitate new homes and social housing. 3️⃣ A groundbreaking $9.3 billion 5-year National Agreement on Social Housing & Homelessness. This will double Commonwealth homelessness funding to $400 million annually, matched by states and territories, to fight homelessness and enhance social housing. 🏡 #housingaustralia #socialhousing #Budget2024 #landdevelopment #swoopland

The housing system is broke and broken, but government alone cannot solve the crisis. Our CEO Scott Langford writes in The Sydney Morning Herald today that the Albanese government has shown national leadership on housing and now has the opportunity to use a forecast strong budget position to double the size and ambition of the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. Instead of funding 40,000 social and affordable homes over five years, the federal government should commit to funding for 20,000 to 30,000 homes this year and increase the program to $20 billion – a downpayment on homes for the years ahead. The scale of the shortfall of social and affordable housing is such that government alone cannot solve this crisis. There is a substantial role for the private sector, and bringing together capital and capability with government funding is a role best suited to purpose-driven, not-for-profit community housing providers such as ours. #socialhousing #afforablehousing https://bit.ly/3QFk5f2

Our Broken Housing System: Wesley Mission is a Community Housing Provider (Tier 2). We enjoy the privilege of serving just over 500 tenancies with more than 700 residents. Most of our tenancies are social housing or crisis/transitional housing. As a Housing Provider at the sharp edge of the system, we see the housing crisis Australia is facing in sharp relief. Here are some stats that tell just a sliver of the story: In September 2023 we were housing 6% of those who applied with us. Just six months later, in March 2024, that number has dropped to 3%. In August 2023 we had 315 applicants on our wait list. In March 2024 we have 417. We will soon have more people on our wait list than we house. In March 2024, more than 90% of those we housed in crisis/transitional housing and general social housing were homeless when they applied. There is so much stress and suffering behind these statistics. The hard truth is that tinkering around the edges will not fix a broken and inequitable system that has been decades in the making. Root and branch reform, including of our tax system, will be necessary. Those of us who’ve benefited hugely from the system as it is, effectively accumulating taxpayer subsidised wealth, must be ready to give up some of those advantages if we do believe in access and equity for all - and that safe and affordable housing is a fundamental human right. #housing #homelessness

Link Wentworth welcomes the state government’s commitment to tackling the housing crisis in today’s budget. We commend the government for the investment in social housing - $5.1 billion over four years. Other initiatives such as the emergency housing and homelessness support services, the NSW Rental Taskforce and increased funding for maintenance of older social housing stock are all positive strategies to increase help to those most affected by the current crisis. Andrew McAnulty, CEO of Link Wentworth praised the Minns Government, Treasurer Mookhey, Minister Jackson and Minister Scully for such a clear statement of intent and significant investment towards providing safe, secure and affordable homes for all NSW residents. This announcement builds on the momentum of the past 12 months of planning reforms and the establishment of Homes NSW and the Rental Commissioner. “I encourage this landmark investment to be leveraged via community housing providers (CHPs) to layer funding sources and increase the new homes delivered with land from the state government and Federal Government Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF). As not-for-profit organisations that reinvest surpluses back into housing stock for low-income residents, CHPs are well positioned—financially, strategically and ethically—to partner with government and private sector stakeholders, to increase the supply of social housing. Through a clear strategy to layer investment via community housing providers, the state government can make this critical and strategic investment go even further and provide more homes for those who need them most.” Rebecca Pinkstone Trina Jones Community Housing Industry Association NSW PowerHousing Australia Nathan Dal Bon Housing Australia Homes NSW #nswbudget #socialhousing #communityhousing #affordablehousing

Tomorrow’s unveiling of the NSW 2024-2025 budget represents a pivotal moment for the government to address our state’s housing crisis. Hunter Community Housing is awaiting this announcement with great anticipation, with our sector advocating for increased and much-needed funding for social and affordable housing. This budget is an opportunity for transformative action that could significantly improve the lives of many NSW residents, ensuring access to safe and affordable homes.

Exciting News in Affordable Housing! 🏠📣Janet Yellen, alongside the Biden administration, has unveiled a new fund aimed at boosting affordable housing. ⬇️Here are the key points: ▪️New Fund: This initiative is designed to significantly increase the availability of affordable housing across the country. It addresses a crucial need as many families struggle with rising housing costs. ▪️Tackling Inflation: One of the primary goals is to combat shelter inflation, which has been a significant burden on low and middle-income families. By increasing the supply of affordable homes, the fund aims to stabilize and reduce housing costs. ▪️Biden's Initiative: This fund is part of a broader set of economic policies being rolled out in anticipation of the upcoming election. It's a strategic move to demonstrate the administration's commitment to addressing housing affordability and economic stability. ▪️Benefits: The expected outcomes include helping more families find stable and affordable housing, reducing the financial strain caused by high rent and mortgage payments, and fostering economic growth through increased homeownership and rental opportunities. 👇🗨️What impact do you think this will have on the housing market and your community? Will it be enough to address the current challenges? Share your thoughts and insights in the comments below! ✨ 🔗Read more about this significant development and its potential impact by clicking the link in comments.  #Section8 #AffordableHousing #HousingForAll

"The Housing Australia Future Fund has had massive over-subscription, if you like, demand is there, from social housing, community providers to pitch in," said The Prime Minister as he spoke alongside NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson on Friday at a newly refurbished social housing property in Russell Lea. Members of Faith Housing Alliance have submitted high-quality bids to the HAFF to provide thousands of new social and affordable homes. Each responds to the housing needs of local communities, with projects tailored to their urban, suburban, regional, and rural contexts. Demonstrating the capacity and capability of the faith housing sector, we need to see the NSW Government commit its own funding and resources in the state budget on June 18. Shovel-ready projects that may miss out on Round 1 HAFF funding are ready to be delivered to help meet NSW's housing targets and critically support people worst affected by the housing crisis. We're calling on the NSW Government to invest in an immediate and sustained increase in the supply of social and affordable rental housing - at least $2.08 billion per year to deliver up to 5,000 homes per year with wrap-around support for the next ten years. That's the scale of investment needed to ensure the people of NSW can live with security and dignity. #HAFF #housingcrisis #NSWbudget