Budget must lift social housing target

Everybody’s Home has urged the federal government to increase its social housing target and back it up with funding in next week’s Budget if it’s serious about easing the crisis. Right now, just three percent of homes that the government wants Australia to build over the next five years are set to be social housing. As the government confronts warnings it will fail to meet its 1.2 million housing target, Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said building more social housing was essential. “If the government is serious about making housing affordable, it must step up and build social housing,” Azize said. “It’s clear that the private market can’t meet the government’s target, and their track record shows us that these homes won’t be affordable for most people. Social housing is guaranteed to be affordable for people – and at scale, it pushes down the cost of housing for everyone. “The government describes its national housing target as ambitious, but it’s lacking ambition when it comes to bringing down the cost of housing. Only three percent of their target will be social housing. “There is no use building homes that people can’t afford. The government must end the social housing shortfall – and aim for 10 percent of all homes in Australia to be social housing. “We need a Budget that matches the scale of this crisis. Housing in Australia has never been so unaffordable and unfair. Without a huge increase in social housing, it will only get worse.”