Tasmania's peak body for housing and homelessness is urging the state government to adopt "more ambitious targets" and build 1000 affordable social houses per year for 10 years.
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Shelter Tasmania chief executive officer Pattie Chugg outlined the target in the organisation's first newsletter of 2021, believing it was crucial to use the current decade to get on top of housing stress.
She said it was clear the government's targets - detailed in its Affordable Housing Strategy and action plans - would not adequately address the homelessness crisis.
"Current targets are not keeping pace with demand and need," she said.
"The private rental market is increasingly expensive, with rents outstripping incomes.
"External pressures like tourism and population increase place pressures on the private rental market, with the greatest hardship experienced by people on the lowest incomes."
The organisation called on the government to include a Housing Impact Analysis for all of its policies.
Ms Chugg said the 1000 houses per year target could be achieved by increasing the proportion of social housing in new housing developments.
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She said all Tasmanian neighbourhoods should have a diversity of housing.
"Our neighborhoods can all include people on low incomes, such as older single people who are renters, young families starting out, people in necessary occupations that are not well paid, apprenticeships, and all kinds of households," Ms Chugg said.
"There are a lot of myths and stereotypes that affect people's perceptions and lead to outdated NIMBY attitudes, but people of all income levels can be great neighbours."
The government estimates that more than 15 per cent of houses built in Tasmania over the next three years will be social housing properties.
Community housing 'expression of interest' process continuing
An expressions of interest process with community housing providers to build more housing in Tasmania is likely to conclude in the coming weeks, Housing Minister Roger Jaensch said.
The government allocated $30 million for the 2021-22 financial year, and $35 million the following 12 months, in the hope of carrying out a community housing "construction blitz", with a promise of 1000 new social housing premises over the next three years.
Mr Jaensch said this program, and other social housing constructions, would be targeted to areas of need.
"What we've got is a very detailed picture through our social housing register of how many of what types of houses people have made applications for, in which suburbs, around the state," he said.
"We are now in discussions with community housing providers about the next wave of housing contracts to be signed."
Mr Jaensch has previously indicated that the government would look to use its fast-tracked rezoning laws - as used in Huntingfield - to add housing stock quicker in unused Crown or other government land.
He said they were continuing to identify appropriate land for housing development.
"We have a couple of areas that we've been looking and discussing with local government and others that may be candidates for rezoning for residential use," Mr Jaensch said.
"We'll keep working on those and have more to say once we've reached a firm proposal stage."
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