Homelessness support program fails to deliver

A $300,000 program set up by the Minister for Human Services to support people at risk of homelessness has failed to help even one person.

Shadow Human Services Minister Rebecca White said it has taken ten months for Minister Jacquie Petrusma to set up the Tenancy Guarantee program because she failed to adequately consult with the sector before announcing it last year.

The program was funded under the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness to assist those families at risk of homelessness to access private rental with the assistance of a bond guarantee from Housing Tasmania.

“In Budget Estimates today the Minister revealed that in the time it has been operating 39 people had been assessed for support and that 15 were deemed eligible,” Ms White said.

“From those 15 deemed eligible for support five had found private accommodation without support of the program and the status of the other ten remains unknown. The plight of those ten families is of great concern as their eligibility for support indicates they were at risk of homelessness.

“The difficulty people have accessing private rental isn’t their ability to guarantee their bond, it is their ability to make rent each week.

“The best way to support people into secure accommodation is to invest in more affordable accommodation options or incentivise private sector investment through programs such as the National Rental Affordability Scheme.

“The Minister for Human Services needs to acknowledge that her government is failing Tasmanians in need of affordable housing as evidenced by the 43% blow out in the public housing waitlist.”
Rebecca White MP Shadow Human Services Minister