It’s a concern that people who need social housing in Maitland could face more than a decade’s wait to live in our region.
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But not-for-profit organisation Pacific Link Housing has come up with a plan to address the shortage in Maitland and Newcastle.
It wants Housing NSW, the government agency responsible for more than 1800 social houses in Maitland, to transfer the management of the dwellings to not-for-profit housing providers.
Pacific Link CEO Keith Gavin said the change would unlock $2.73 million in federal funding each year that Housing NSW could not access.
Given that the waiting list for two- and four-bedroom social housing in Maitland is more than 10 years long, Mr Gavin’s solution could be welcome relief for the family and community services sector.
While there are also long waiting lists for one-bedroom houses (two to five years) and three-bedroom dwellings (five to 10 years) in Maitland, it’s important to remember that issues with social housing extend beyond access.
Maintenance of these properties can be costly.
You don’t need to drive too far to see that upkeep appears to have been put on the back-burner in some of the Hunter’s public housing areas.
The debate about who should be eligible to live in social housing is one for another day.
The fact is that people with disabilities, aged pensioners and families are among those who need somewhere to live.
When there are waiting lists for a service as long as the queues for social housing across the Hunter, it shows that something in the system needs to change.
Organisations such as Pacific Link Housing contribute constructive possible solutions to problems in the social housing sector.
