WESTERN Australia’s Cook government will allocate more than $840 million to social and affordable housing and homelessness initiatives in this week’s budget.
The 2024-25 state budget will include an additional $400 million in funding to expand the Social and Affordable Housing Investment Fund (SAHIF) to support the delivery and refurbishment of social housing stock, and provide housing vulnerable members of the community.
This latest investment in the SAHIF brings the total number of new social homes funded in this term of government to almost 5,000, of which more than 2,100 have already been delivered. More than 1,500 homes have also been refurbished.
The Cook government said expansion of the SAHIF will also help support a pipeline of affordable multi-residential housing across priority sites, including Metronet precincts, by partnering with the Commonwealth through Housing Australia and the community housing sector.
The government has already announced up to $50 million in grants for registered community housing providers in Western Australia under a process aimed at boosting regional social and community housing supply.
Homelessness support and case management services will get a $92.2 million boost.
A further $144 million will be provided to accelerate priority affordable housing projects including Pier Street in Perth, while $179 million in additional funding will be invested to maintain the state’s portfolio of around 45,000 social, key worker and Aboriginal homes.
The state government will also selectively spot-purchase National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) properties to convert to social housing over time. NRAS is a Federal Government initiative implemented and funded from 2008 that is set to end by 2026.
ShelterWA recently urged the Western Australian government to set up an affordable rental housing scheme worth up to $2 billion ahead of thousands of affordable homes potentially being to the private market with the wind-up of the NRAS.
“We are doing everything we can to boost the supply of housing, social housing and rentals across WA amid significant demand for properties,” Premier Roger Cook said.
“In recognition of cost-of-living and housing challenges across the country, my government’s state budget this week will include this significant investment and other initiatives, to help get more vulnerable Western Australians into homes.
“We are also making major investments in training to grow our construction workforce and speed up delivery of homes, and boost supply of affordable housing and rentals so social housing is available for those most in need.”
The funding boost brings the state government’s total new investment in housing and homelessness measures since 2021-22 to $3.2 billion.
Treasurer Rita Saffioti said, “We recognise the housing challenge will require ongoing investment and our government is committed to looking at all opportunities to address housing supply and affordability”.
Housing Minister John Carey the funding in the budget would boost social and affordable housing throughout the state and provide a major uplift in funding to more than 120 critical homelessness services.
ShelterWA has also called on the Cook government to retrofit all of Western Australia’s 42,000 social housing dwellings by 2030, saying the undertaking could wipe $50 million off social housing renters’ energy bills every year by making homes energy efficient.
