Alistair Coe MLA, the Shadow Minister for Housing, has called on the Minister for Disability and Housing to support the community housing sector with funding from the Federal Government stimulus package.
The ACT Government is set to receive $102 million from the Commonwealth Government for social housing projects, including $96 million for acquisition of new houses and $6 million for maintenance.
“There are serious concerns that the ACT Government is going to cut community housing providers out of the package and pour all the money into Government housing,” Mr Coe said.
The Federal Government’s package was designed for both government and not-for-profit providers:
The centrepiece of the Government’s reform agenda is to facilitate the growth of a number of sophisticated not for profit housing organisations that will operate alongside existing state-run housing authorities.
Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, Federal Minister for Housing 19/3/09
“At the meeting of housing ministers in Adelaide today, I urge Mr Hargreaves to back Canberra’s not-for-profit providers and not to seek to exclude them from the package.”
“In Canberra, the community housing sector provides hundreds of units for Canberra families that would otherwise struggle to enter the rental and property markets. They are better able to tailor housing solutions to individual needs and are seeking to expand.”
