InsightSocial housing – A round table discussion

The availability and affordability of housing for those on very low to medium incomes is a ‘wicked problem’.

Housing is not just a basic human need as declared by the United Nations. According to a recent paper for the NSW Community Housing Industry Council (NSW CHIC) housing is “an important instrument in the fight against poverty”. And in NSW, the Government’s Future Directions for Social Housing in NSW, considers that “social housing supports the most vulnerable people in the community who need a safety net”. TSA is looking to review this issue with an expert panel.

Watch our conversation featuring Kate Mills, CEO of the Property Industry Foundation, Peter Nelson – Principal Advisor- Architecture & Urban Design, Office of the Queensland Government Architect, Alex Guy – Partner at Ashurst and Caroline Compton-James – Director at Osborne UK as they discuss the current challenges and ideas that have the potential to change the status quo of social housing. Our panellists will be joined by TSA experts working in the sector, Roger Simons – Associate Director and Anthony Felice – Project Director and Sector Lead.

Download our whitepaper, which includes the challenges and opportunities that exist within the social housing sector.

One point made was that we need to ensure that the housing that is delivered in the sector is high quality, built with a whole of life plan for the asset, but also ensures the quality of life for the tenants both in the asset but also the wider community through placemaking. With a  resident centric approach, the right housing solutions can have broader impacts on education, health and mental health, flowing onto other sectors like corrections.

We also need to develop partnerships that allow a national approach both in terms of development, but also approach to homelessness. Mandated design qualities but not a cookie cutter approach. DFMA could be part of the solution, but need volume to make it scalable and cost effective.