‘Alarming’ levels of unmet housing need in East Kimberley: Shelter WA chief executive

The chief executive of a WA social housing advocacy organisation says analysis from a new Community Housing Industry Association report has shown an “alarming” demand for homes in the Kimberley. The CHIA and the University of NSW’s City Futures Research Centre released a report on January 31 which found more than half a million low-income households across Australia were living in inappropriate housing based on the latest Census data. “These Australians were either experiencing homelessness, in overcrowded homes or spending over 30 per cent of their income on rent,” the report said. The analysis also found 55 per cent of the housing need in the WA’s North was caused by homelessness, compared to inner-city Perth which had just 10 per cent of its demand driven by the same factor. Shelter WA chief executive Kath Snell said the acute need for housing being felt in WA’s regions was worrying. “This report shows that local government areas in our North and Midwest regions are experiencing a very alarming level of unmet need,” she said. “The East Kimberley region was already experiencing a high level of unmet need before the devastating floods. The recovery and rebuilding efforts need to factor this in.” With more than half the demand in the region driven by homelessness, WA’s North was the worst in the country, second only to the Northern Territory which has 95 per cent of its housing need driven by homelessness. “Homelessness in the WA Outback region is a key driver of unmet housing demand,” the report said. “WA Outback areas, in particular the north, have a much more acute homelessness problem, which reflects the much higher presence of Indigenous households and the poor housing options for the Indigenous community.” CHIA chief executive Wendy Hayhurst said the report highlighted the importance of a long-term national housing strategy with clear targets to address the housing need right across Australia. “There are currently 640,000 Australian households whose housing needs are not being met and this figure is projected to increase to 940,000 by 2041,” she said. “The Commonwealth has laid important foundations for expanding social and affordable housing and it is reassuring to see them seriously grapple with this challenge. “However, we will need to muster additional investment from all levels of government and superannuation funds to meet this challenge.” The report said a steady supply of social housing in conjunction with market housing would be important in meeting future housing demand.