The NSW government has announced that it will proceed with the demolition and redevelopment of the Waterloo public housing precinct, meaning that nearly 1000 residents will be forced to relocate.
The Waterloo south plan, initially delivered under the former government, has been revised by the Labor government to add 53 social homes, and 373 affordable homes to the precinct.
Affordable homes, under current government policy, consist of housing leased at 80% of market rates. Under this policy, in Waterloo a two bedroom apartment could be leased for $776 per week, making it unattainable for many low income earners. Fifty per cent of the new homes built will be privately owned.
The redevelopment is predicted to take a decade to complete.
It marks a controversial decision for the state government, which ran on a platform of ending privatisation at the last election. Earlier this year, Ron Hoenig, Member for Heffron, sent a letter to residents arguing that by voting for Labor, they had the “opportunity to stop the sell-off of the Waterloo Public Housing Estate and protect [their] home”.
Waterloo South resident, and Action for Public Housing member, Karyn Brown said, “Demolishing homes is no way to deal with a housing crisis, it’s like trying to stop a flood with a firehose.
“Rather than breaking up the community and dispersing it amongst the assorted private landlords that community housing providers are, it should be retained as 100% public housing, and the community supported to continue living here.”
The housing crisis has worsened housing insecurity for vulnerable people and families, with the waitlist for public housing in June of this year reaching 55,880 people in NSW alone.
The number of people who are currently on the priority listing for public housing has doubled since 2015, with 7,573 people waiting as of June of this year.
The priority listing only includes people and families in current, or imminent, high risk situations. These include homelessness, escaping domestic violence, and Stolen Generations survivors.
The Department of Communities and Justice website indicated that people and families on the general waiting list will wait over ten years in the majority of locations before a home becomes available.
Action for Public Housing member and Macquarie School of Social Sciences researcher Dr Alistair Sisson said, “The homes in Waterloo South are decent quality; there has never been a condition assessment to prove that they are inadequate or beyond repair.
“A better approach would be to refurbish the homes in Waterloo South, acquire new homes and build new public housing on sites like North Eveleigh, which are being redeveloped by the NSW Government without a single public housing dwelling.
“This is the only way that they can start to make significant headway with the public housing waiting list.”
There will be a speak out against the demolition of Waterloo on Friday the 25th of August. Click here for more information.
