Page 4726 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 October 2010
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community, is operated by one of our largest community services partners, the St Vincent de Paul. This service began operations in February of this year.
We are also looking towards sustaining people in their tenancies, to break the cycle of homelessness. This is why the building housing partnerships support tenancy service is being established. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that the new service will commence on 1 November of this year—that is the expected date—and will be delivered by a partnership arrangement involving Woden Community Services, Belconnen Community Services and the YWCA of Canberra. This service provides support to state tenancies across our community, breaking the cycle of homelessness and supporting people to stay in their homes. This service will be tenure neutral, providing support not only to people in public and community housing but also those in the private rental market.
The ACT government has provided seed funding to the Kids Under Cover organisation. To date, the kids under cover program has delivered two bungalows, which were installed in July of this year, and a third bungalow will be constructed with a donation from the Snow Foundation. By providing semi-independent bungalows, young people living in overcrowded or stressful family environments providing—(Time expired.)
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe?
MR COE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Minister, what progress has the ACT government made with regard to 10 per cent of public housing across the territory?
MS BURCH: We continue to invest in public housing and grow our stocks, as I think I alluded to in my response. Since we came to government in 2001, we have actually still been trying to make up to the 1,000 properties that were stripped out of our social housing stock by those opposite.
Ten per cent is a big target. We currently sit on about eight per cent of the total dwellings here in Canberra. We are the largest landlord. To increase that by 10 per cent, as has been discussed a number of times, is a very large commitment. But it is a commitment and it is an aspirational goal that we are going towards. We continue to invest in public housing. We continue to strengthen our partnerships with our social housing and community partners, and I think that is a good thing.
Our waiting lists at the moment sit on about 1,500, even with the new properties coming on line. The moving of older people out into more appropriate accommodation will take a third off our waiting list. But it still means that there is a long way to go. We will continue to invest in public and social housing. That is what this government will do.
MS BRESNAN: A supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Bresnan.
MS BRESNAN: Minister, can you update the Assembly on the time frame for the ACT Housing asset management plan, given that the most recent plan has expired?
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