New centre will tackle housing stress in Australia

The Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning will address housing market imbalances in Australia.
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Monday, 14 November 2011

A new centre to address homelessness and housing market imbalances in Australia will be launched tomorrow at the University of Adelaide by the South Australian Deputy Premier, the Hon. John Rau.

The Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning - comprised of University researchers, academics and other practitioners - aims to assist some of the most disadvantaged people in Australia, according to its Director, Professor Andrew Beer.

"People affected with disabilities, Indigenous Australians, people living in remote areas and also those people impacted by industry restructuring will be our focus," Professor Beer says.

"One in every 200 people in Australia is living without safe, secure, affordable and appropriate housing and as many as 16,000 people are sleeping rough every night in this country, many with a psychiatric disability.

"Homelessness right across the board is increasing, particularly among young people and older women," Professor Beer says.

The Centre will also look for solutions to housing stress, which affects about 1.3 million Australian households according to the latest statistics.

"An increasing number of low income households are going without food in order to meet their housing costs. In South Australia alone, we anticipate about 10,000 housing evictions this year.

"The prospect of owning a house is slipping out of reach for many Australians, with the poorest needing a staggering 27 times their income to purchase a median price house in this country," Professor Beer says.

Regional development and land use planning will also be a key theme.

"Australia's patchwork economy means that increasing numbers of Australian communities and towns are being left behind, while others aren't able to grow because of inadequate or intrusive planning."

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