The ACT Election is scheduled for 19 October 2024 and Disabled Peoples and Representative Organisations offer numerous housing policy priorities for voters and candidates in the lead up to the poll. We are non-partisan organisations which represent people with a range of disabilities. Our work and priorities are informed by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.
In the next ACT Legislative Assembly, we call on the Government and members to work towards an inclusive and welcoming Canberra which delivers the promise of a Human Rights Jurisdiction for the 1 in 5 Canberrans with disability.
As we head into the final days of the election we note the release of the 2024 Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot which shows only 0.4% of housing is affordable to people with a disability.
Housing plays a major role in the health and wellbeing of people with disability by providing shelter, safety, and security. In the ACT, the limited supply of accessible housing that is affordable and appropriate does not meet Australia’s commitment to the UN CRPD and the right for people with disability to live with equality and choice. For places people with disability at a heightened risk of experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, housing dissatisfaction, poor quality and/or inaccessible housing and housing unaffordability.
Quotes attributable to disability organisations
“The reliance on voluntary construction of accessible homes, post-construction modification, and provision of accessible social housing has failed to deliver accessible housing for most people with mobility restrictions. That is why the provision of more public and social housing at the Gold Level of accessible design is a critical issue.”
Kat Reed, Women with Disabilities ACT
“The recent Royal Commission shone a light on the pervasive abuse and neglect prevalent in group home settings. To realise the rights of people with disability, we are calling for the ACT Government to lead the way in phasing out and permanently shutting down these types of accommodations.”
Shannon Kolak, ACT Down Syndrome & Intellectual Disability
“As we head towards Saturday’s election, today’s release of the Housing Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare should once again focus attention on the desperate lack of any housing which is both affordable to people on lower income and build with accessible features which allow people to live in it. It found that only 0.4% of houses surveyed in the ACT and southern NSW region were affordable to people on the meagre Disability Support Pension.
“The lack of suitable housing is also highlighted by the troubling new Federal Aged Care Bill which gives explicit powers to place people under the age of 65 with disability into residential aged care – a situation which we know is incredibly isolating and inappropriate for these people.
“The reliance on voluntary construction of accessible homes, post-construction modification, and provision of accessible social housing has failed to deliver accessible housing for most people with mobility restrictions. Instead, incentives are needed to boost the supply of universal design private housing.”
“Problems with existing housing include poor access, unsuitable internal layouts, inadequately designed bathrooms, kitchens and laundries, and a lack of other qualities such as good light and connections to outdoor views and spaces. It is critical that social and public housing receives timely and appropriate upgrades and ongoing maintenance in order to be fit-for-purpose.”
“Stable and secure housing is also essential for mental well-being. For people with low income, housing instability is a constant reality and often it is difficult to know where to turn for help. To simplify the process, would also like to see the establishment of a housing advocate to help people navigate and access public, social, and private housing.”
Craig Wallace, Advocacy for Inclusion
Housing Priorities
Problem statement
People with disability want a place of their own, which is not dependent on Supported Disability Accommodation funding under the NDIS. Current housing is not designed to support disability or ageing in place, making it difficult and frustrating to live independently with choice and control over their lives. This lack of appropriate and diverse housing is an issue when people with disability want to remain and live independently in the community close to public transport, centre complexes and support services. In addition, most rental leases are short-term, which can add to the stress and anxiety of finding a safe, affordable, accessible and appropriate home.
Public and social housing persist as the main viable housing form for people with disability. There are long waiting lists for public housing (188 days for priority housing and over 5 years for a standard wait), a lack of social housing and unaffordable private rental housing. Group homes and cluster homes remain a feature of housing for people with disability in the ACT. Yet, this form of housing is inconsistent with the CRPD (Article 19) and erodes independent and capacity, limits choice, and heightens the risk of violence, abuse and homelessness.
People with disability face a double disadvantage in Canberra: a lack of affordable housing and a lack of appropriate built form. These issues are amplified by low rates of Disability Support Pension and JobSeeker, as well as Canberra’s high-cost private rental market.
Evidence
- People with disability are at a higher risk of experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, housing dissatisfaction, poor quality and/or inaccessible housing, and housing unaffordability
- Specifically, individuals with schooling or employment restrictions, psychological and intellectual disabilities, and mental illness are especially vulnerable to extreme levels of relative homelessness risk
- In 2022-23, the ACT reported 10,795 public housing households. More than half (56 per cent) of households include someone with disability
- A Disability Support Pension (DSP) recipient could not afford any of the 1,085 ACT rental properties advertised in March 2024
- A single person aged 21 years or older on DSP (and maximum supplements) receives $558.15 per week
- The median rental average for all dwellings in the ACT is $650
- Between December 2018 and December 2023, Canberra experienced a 23 per cent increase in housing costs
- The condition of public housing continues to decline with only 60 per cent of households with a disability living in houses of an acceptable standard (at least four working facilities and not more than two major structural problems).
- Since 2021-22, there has been a 10 per cent decrease in net recurrent expenditure for public housing in the ACT
- The number of clients with disability accessing specialist homelessness services has increased over the last four years
- The ACT has the highest percentage of rental stress across Australia among Commonwealth Rent Assistance recipients, at 53.2 per cent
- Renters in the ACT experience some of the coldest indoor temperatures, with an average of 15.3 degrees Celsius over winter. Substandard housing increases energy costs and increases the price renters have to pay in order to live comfortably.
Our asks
In the coming ACT election, we ask candidates to commit to ensuring people with disability can find and maintain access to appropriate and affordable housing in the community. To achieve this, we need:
- Increased supply of public and social housing at the Gold level of accessible design that people with disability can immediately access
- More non group social housing at the Gold Level
- A package of incentives to increase private supply of universal design housing including tax breaks, planning preferences, getting mum and dad landlords to invest
- Better identification of rental housing that is suitable for people with disability including requiring agents to advertise their accessible properties
- Improved housing rental application processes that support applicants with disability
- Provision of longer-term housing leaseholds, suitable for NDIS-funded home modifications package to incentivise accessibility in medium density housing
- Urgent priority maintenance issues and upgrades – including installing air conditioning in the home of every public housing tenant with disability
- Funding for a housing advocate to help people navigate and access public, social, and private housing
- Work to encourage more accessibility features within medium density housing
- Money and training to incentivise the inclusion of access ready dwellings within all new developments at two stories and above
- A devolution program out of group housing in the ACT
Election comment authorised by Craig Wallace for Advocacy for Inclusion