❓ WA Parliamentary Question on Notice regarding public housing, specifically addressing assistance for those in urgent need, emergency housing construction, and the challenges faced by homeless individuals navigating the housing system.
AnsweredQoN 1149Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC HOUSING
1149. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the
minister representing the Minister for Housing:
(1) How is the
state government directly assisting people in urgent need of housing and health
services who are being turned away from public housing?
(2) How many
emergency housing and social housing dwellings will be built this year for
people on the priority list?
(3) Does the
minister acknowledge how difficult it is for a person experiencing homelessness
to navigate the system and be forced to wait for three years for a home in one
of the richest states in the world?
1149. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the
minister representing the Minister for Housing:
(1) How is the
state government directly assisting people in urgent need of housing and health
services who are being turned away from public housing?
(2) How many
emergency housing and social housing dwellings will be built this year for
people on the priority list?
(3) Does the
minister acknowledge how difficult it is for a person experiencing homelessness
to navigate the system and be forced to wait for three years for a home in one
of the richest states in the world?
AnswerView source ↗
On behalf of the Minister for Housing, I thank the honourable
member for some notice of the question.
(1) It is
suggested that this part of the question be asked of the Minister for Child Protection,
as this falls within her portfolio.
(2) In 2014–15,
the department will build 170 social housing dwellings and 21 dwellings under
its crisis accommodation program. The Department of Housing cannot comment on
how many properties from a specific construction project will be allocated to
priority applicants. The department allocates accommodation to applicants in
the order in which they apply. When an applicant can demonstrate that they have
an urgent need for housing that cannot be met by being listed on the department's
wait turn list, they are granted priority status. The department allocates 60 per
cent of its available accommodation to priority applicants, 20 per cent to wait
turn applicants and 20 per cent to transfer applicants. All accommodation is
placed in a central pool and allocated according to family size, preferred zone
and required accommodation type.
(3) The
Minister for Housing acknowledges the difficulty experienced by the homeless
people in our community. A significant portion of public housing is allocated
to people experiencing homelessness, and the Department of Housing advises that
the average wait time for a priority applicant as at 30 June 2014 was 67 weeks.
The department's Homeless Advisory Service provides information to
assist people to secure their own accommodation and link with crisis
accommodation services, and people can get a bond loan to assist them into
private rental accommodation. Over the past five years, the National Partnership
Agreement on Homelessness has provided a major boost to homelessness services.
The state government is seeking a commitment from the commonwealth to further
funding for the NPAH beyond 30 June 2015.
member for some notice of the question.
(1) It is
suggested that this part of the question be asked of the Minister for Child Protection,
as this falls within her portfolio.
(2) In 2014–15,
the department will build 170 social housing dwellings and 21 dwellings under
its crisis accommodation program. The Department of Housing cannot comment on
how many properties from a specific construction project will be allocated to
priority applicants. The department allocates accommodation to applicants in
the order in which they apply. When an applicant can demonstrate that they have
an urgent need for housing that cannot be met by being listed on the department's
wait turn list, they are granted priority status. The department allocates 60 per
cent of its available accommodation to priority applicants, 20 per cent to wait
turn applicants and 20 per cent to transfer applicants. All accommodation is
placed in a central pool and allocated according to family size, preferred zone
and required accommodation type.
(3) The
Minister for Housing acknowledges the difficulty experienced by the homeless
people in our community. A significant portion of public housing is allocated
to people experiencing homelessness, and the Department of Housing advises that
the average wait time for a priority applicant as at 30 June 2014 was 67 weeks.
The department's Homeless Advisory Service provides information to
assist people to secure their own accommodation and link with crisis
accommodation services, and people can get a bond loan to assist them into
private rental accommodation. Over the past five years, the National Partnership
Agreement on Homelessness has provided a major boost to homelessness services.
The state government is seeking a commitment from the commonwealth to further
funding for the NPAH beyond 30 June 2015.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.