The audit office of New South Wales is conducting a performance audit into social housing, including public, community and Aboriginal housing. Specifically, the audit office is assessing whether “social housing is effectively and efficiently prioritised to meet the needs of vulnerable households, and whether social housing tenants are effectively supported to establish and sustain their tenancies”.
Shelter NSW has a strong interest not only in the experiences of social housing tenants, but also in the experiences of prospective tenants or people eligible for social housing. Since 2021, we have been a partner organisation of ‘Waithood: The experience of waiting for social housing’, an ARC Linkage Project researching the circumstances and experiences of people on social housing waiting lists.
Our submission to the social housing performance audit drew extensively on this research, as well as the experiences and expertise of Shelter NSW organisational and individual members.
Housing Pathways – the system used in NSW to manage applications for housing assistance – is difficult to access and use for people experiencing homelessness and/or with lower levels of literacy and digital skills. Evidentiary requirements can be difficult to meet, especially without support, and are insufficiently flexible. After an application has been lodged, applicants are not provided with clear and regularly updated information regarding waiting times, and review processes are not binding.
Alan Morris, Professor at the Institute of Public Policy & Governance, and Shelter NSW Senior Policy Officer Thomas Chailloux developed recommendations for the social housing system to be more person-centred, trauma-informed, and provide people with the support they need to successfully access and maintain housing suited to their needs. The Tasmanian system of integrated, in-house support for social housing applicants may be a model for NSW to consider.
You can read Shelter NSW submission on our website.
Shelter NSW will continue to work with the audit office of New South Wales and Homes NSW through the course of the performance audit and beyond so that social housing is more accessible for the people who need it.