Social Ventures Australia has developed an evidence-informed perspective on the actions required to achieve stable, appropriate and affordable accommodation for all Australians with tailored wrap-around support and transitional opportunities for low-income earners. 

Recommendations:

Adequate and appropriate supply of housing stock across the housing continuum:

• Forge partnerships with large-scale private sector participants including developers to engage with the social/affordable housing sector in a strategic and meaningful way.
• Explore growth and consolidation opportunities within the Community Housing Provider (CHP) sector to improve the scale and sophistication of CHPs which will make them more attractive to institutional investment.
• Governments should set net new supply targets for social and affordable housing.

Appropriate support services to help people maintain tenancies and improve their quality of life:

• Improve integration of services delivered to people at risk of homelessness, particularly for complex cohorts.
• Agree on a framework by which outcomes can be measured and evaluated – with a focus on social mobility.
• People (and outcomes) to be placed at the centre of policy and service design – this will likely include a stronger emphasis on a strengths-based/aspirational model of wraparound support.

Effective transitional pathways to provide opportunities for people to move along the continuum:

• Match rental subsidies to circumstance not to address.
• Develop appropriate incentives to encourage transition e.g. reduce marginal tax rate disincentives.
• Develop alternative housing models along the continuum (housing at 40-75% of market rent) including longer-term leases.