There are an estimated one-hundred-and-seventy thousand households on social housing waiting lists across Australia. For those able to secure a home, its life changing. It's hoped renewed government focus on boosting supply can help ease the housing crisis.
Category
đź“ş
TVTranscript
00:00 Dean McCarthy has taken plenty of hits, but finding appropriate housing took its toll.
00:07 I could have become homeless and I was stressing and I was sick.
00:15 A life threatening injury more than 40 years ago and several health complications left him unable to work.
00:22 The private rental market became unaffordable on a disability support pension.
00:27 Relief came when he secured social housing on the Gold Coast.
00:31 This has saved countless lives.
00:34 Mr McCarthy's building is designed to ease the supply crunch.
00:38 These 20 apartments have replaced a single suburban home.
00:42 There's really a lack of housing in that zone at the moment and we think there's great potential to build architecture in that that provides great housing for people.
00:52 The federal government has created a $10 billion fund to help build more.
00:57 I think there probably has been a reluctance to get in there and actually build social housing by a series of other governments.
01:06 But housing experts say at best this policy will only slow the decline in social housing.
01:12 The Community Housing Industry Association says it's a foundation to build on for a problem that's been years in the making.
01:20 Now is a real opportunity and a real kind of moment in time and I think we need to grasp it.
01:26 A home with affordable rent has changed Mr McCarthy's life.
01:30 He says more people should have the same access.
01:33 It's important that this continues for the sake of people's sanity, lifestyle, i.e. gives them pride.
01:45 I'm very proud to walk in my door every day. Very proud.
01:50 A solution that could be decades away from being realised.
01:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]