Page 3474 - Week 09 - Thursday, 21 August 2008
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while enabling them to consider opportunities for other housing options that may better suit their changed circumstances.
Options could include moving to smaller accommodation for those in large dwellings who are still in need of assistance, or home purchase for those who have moved beyond the need for housing assistance. To support tenants to move to home ownership the sale-to-tenants scheme has been extended and will be augmented by a shared equity scheme. The shared equity scheme will allow tenants who cannot afford to buy the full value of their home to buy a percentage, while Housing ACT retains the remainder until it is also purchased by the tenant.
The changes to the provision of public housing were also introduced in specific consideration of appropriate responses to those whose housing needs have changed. Tenants with two or more spare bedrooms were advised that they may be asked to move to another Housing ACT dwelling after full consideration of their individual circumstances. Housing ACT undertook to find suitable alternatives in negotiation with the tenant and also meet relocation costs. Costs will include removalist fees and charges for reconnection of utilities.
Mr Assistant Speaker, this initiative is already having results, as can be seen by the following case study. Jane—not her real name; it could be Brenda, it could be Carol, it could be Jacqui—approached Housing ACT after hearing about the downsizing initiative at one of our tenant forums. She contacted Housing ACT to advise us she is currently living in a five-bedroom property in Woden and wanted to move to something smaller and more manageable. Jane is a 49-year-old woman who relies solely on Centrelink payments. She has care of her two grandchildren. She has been a tenant of Housing ACT in a number of properties since 1994 and she has resided in the five-bedroom property since 2005.
The housing reforms officer organised a time to meet Jane at her property to assist with filling out the transfer application and to discuss her needs. Jane advised us she had a number of medical issues, including lupus, and had recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She told the housing reforms officer that her current property was too large to maintain and that her family was only using three of the bedrooms. Jane also stated that her grandchildren were having issues at their current school and she would like a fresh start in a completely different area.
Property requirements, area preferences and supports were discussed with the client. She advised that she was willing to move to a three bedroom property in the Woden, Belconnen or Gungahlin areas as long as the property was reasonably close to a school. Jane was approved for the management transfer downsizing category for a three-bedroom accommodation. The housing reforms officer contacted a removalist and organised for some packing boxes to be delivered to Jane.
Jane was made an offer of a property in Gungahlin on 5 June 2008. The housing reforms officer met the client on site at the property. The property was in close proximity to schools and the local shopping centre, and Jane accepted the property. The housing reforms officer gave Jane contacts for the education department so that she could change her grandchildren’s enrolment and organise for a removalist to contact her to move her belongings. Jane signed a new tenancy on 11 June 2008.
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