Canberra has topped the nation in a range of areas including new public housing tenancies going to those with the greatest need and support for people in public housing or those experiencing homelessness.
Minister for Housing Yvette Berry said that it was good to see a range of ACT Government services in these areas performing well.
“Making sure public housing is available to those most in need and providing good support for people experiencing homelessness and those in public housing can be complex but is important work.
“These results are good but I know that more work needs to be done to support people experiencing homelessness and those in social housing.”
The Report on Government Services (ROGS) report showed that the ACT led the nation in the proportion of public housing that was providing homes to low-income households at 98.9 percent and greatest needs allocations as a proportion of new tenancies at 96.9 percent.
The ACT had the highest proportion of young people, who had experienced a form of homelessness, in education or training after receiving support at 82.4 percent compared to the national average of 68.4 percent.
Among people who were living in non-independent housing and who needed assistance to obtain independent housing, 43.8 percent achieved independent housing after support in 2013-14.
Again, this is the highest in the nation.
Some 75.7 percent of ACT public housing tenants said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the service they received, against a national average of 72.7 percent.
Overall, the ROGS results provide supporting evidence for the value of the ACT Government’s significant, long-term program to renew public housing to provide modern homes that meet the needs of tenants.
“The ACT’s central intake service for all inquiries related to homelessness means that we know better than other jurisdictions the extent of homelessness in our territory and what support people need.
“The ROGS data also allows us to see areas where more action is needed.
“While there is no doubt that pressures on social housing and homelessness services are increasing across the country, in the ACT we have a clear picture of the extent of demand on homelessness services, and we are responding to that demand by ensuring those most in need receive the support they need and by renewing our public housing stock.”
