Social housing as infrastructure: an investment pathway

Abstract

Related reports and documentsSocial housing as infrastructure https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/research-in-progress/ahuri-inquiries/evidence-based-policyinquiry-53140 This material was produced with funding from the Australian Government and state and territory governments. AHURI Limited gratefully acknowledges the financial and other support it has received from these governments, without which this work would not have been possible. AHURI Limited also gratefully acknowledges the contributions, both financial and in-kind, of its university research partners who have helped make the completion of this material possible. DisclaimerThe opinions in this report reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of AHURI Limited, its Board, its funding organisations or Inquiry panel members. No responsibility is accepted by AHURI Limited, its Board or funders for the accuracy or omission of any statement, opinion, advice or information in this publication. AHURI journalAHURI Final Report journal series is a refereed series presenting the results of original research to a diverse readership of policy-makers, researchers and practitioners. Peer review statementAn objective assessment of reports published in the AHURI journal series by carefully selected experts in the field ensures that material published is of the highest quality. The AHURI journal series employs a double-blind peer review of the full report, where anonymity is strictly observed between authors and referees.

Conditionality in the context of housing‐led homelessness policy: Comparing Australia’s Housing First agenda to Scotland’s “rights‐based” approach

“…The transitional approach is predicated on the conditional logic of the staircase model described above, with the assumption that the existing housing and support systems are unproblematic and it is the people that fail to transition that require changing. The validity of such assumptions are belied by recent studies that demonstrate the unaffordability of private rental housing in Victoria for people on low incomes (Anglicare ) and the drastic undersupply of social housing in the State (Lawson et al ).…”

Social housing as infrastructure: rationale, prioritisation and investment pathway

“…As shown in Figure 2, a significant disadvantage of the operating subsidy model comes at the end of Year 20, when operating subsidies would still be required to be paid out on dwellings built in the later part of the program, unlike a capital grant model. Source: Lawson, Pawson et al (2018).…”

“…'Financing' describes the instruments or arrangements through which these costs, especially high upfront capital costs, are spread over time as government surpluses and service charge revenues allow. Seen in this light, financing ultimately requires funding and is not a replacement for it (Lawson, Pawson et al 2018).…”

“…Schools, courts, prisons and hospitals are also long-term asset-based services that enhance social and economic wellbeing, and which are allocated on a 'needs' rather than 'capacity to pay' basis. Investment in social infrastructure enables essential services to be delivered more equitably and effectively: schools enable education, hospitals enable health care, and social housing enables households, whose accommodation needs cannot be met by the operation of market forces, to establish and secure a home (Lawson, Pawson et al 2018).…”

“…Thus, services such as health and education are neither delivered on a full-fee paying basis nor operated to extract surpluses or even be costrecovering. The use of subsidies is integral to all needs-based services, and their operation and design must also be equitable, efficient and effective (Lawson, Pawson et al 2018).…”