The housing crisis
Are we bridging the widening gap between
the rich and poor?
Anglicare's call for affordable housing is about achieving social justice and providing the opportunity for all Tasmanians to achieve fullness of life. Anglicare exists to help people on low-income, all of our services are reporting that clients are in housing stress which is increasing as basic living costs rise.
Housing is affordable when a household is spending no more than 30 per cent of their income on housing. When a household is in the lowest 40 per cent of income distribution and spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing costs, the household is said to be in 'housing stress'.
In the face of steeply rising interest rates and rising rents, the only affordable housing for low-income families is located away from transport and shops and services like hospitals.
This leads to problems of concentrated disadvantage - intergenerational poverty and unemployment, anti-social behaviour and poor health and well-being.
People have problems with housing for a range of reasons in addition to being on a low-income; these include refugees, people with disabilities, people with serious mental illness, older people, Indigenous people, young people with children.
Government assistance: assisting home owners and alienating the poor
The vast majority of government assistance goes to home owners (either owner occupiers or investors) and Commonwealth Government assistance to renters pales into insignificance when compared to enormous amount of money given to capital gains and other tax exemptions, negative gearing and the first home owners' grant.
There is a critical need for more public housing. Paul Lennon has recently made a commitment to increase public housing.
It will take time.
As Christians we can make a significant difference to Tasmanians in need by being compassionate and attempting to understand that people living on low-income often have complex needs and are particularly vulnerable.