SOCIAL HOUSING

New governance and accountability arrangements for Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs); Introduced the requirement for formal community benefit schemes including social housing scheme LALCs must must make application to gain NSWALC approval to operate existing Social Housing Schemes by July Major changes to the Act in 2006, took effect from 1 July 2007 and included the following:

The ALRA defines a Social Housing Scheme as: “the acquisition and provision by or on behalf of a Local Aboriginal Land Council of residential accommodation for Aboriginal persons in its area and to the construction, upgrading and extension of any such accommodation (a social housing scheme).” An Existing Social Housing Scheme is residential accommodation provided by a LALC to Aboriginal persons before the 1 July All existing Social Housing Schemes must be approved to continue to operate after 30 June WHAT IS A SOCIAL HOUSING SCHEME?

LALC Social Housing  2,616 Houses managed by LALC’s  12,295 (approx.) No. Aboriginal People live in LALC Housing (4.7 occupancy)  8.5% of Aboriginal People in NSW live in LALC housing.

Aboriginal Social Housing Local Aboriginal Land Councils represent over half of all AHO registered Housing Providers And LALC housing stock of 2,616 accounts for 1/3 of all Aboriginal Housing Stock in NSW

LALC STOCK

 LALC applies and meets requirements of ALRA and receives approval to continue to operate the scheme  LALC housing scheme fails to obtain approval then the LALC will be required to outsource the scheme to another body or agency. There are two possible outcomes when a LALC makes an application to NSWALC for approval to operate a social housing scheme

SUMMARY OF THE PROCESS LALC makes an Application Statutory Parameters ALRA NSWALC Policy Other Considerations Commonwealth and State Government policy positions Financial Capacity NSWALC Assessment Administrative Capacity

ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY 1.the scheme complies with this Act, the Regulations and the Policy of the NSWALC; and 2.the scheme is consistent with the community, land and business plan (if any) of the LALC; and 3.the scheme is fair and equitable and will be administered in a responsible and transparent way; and

FINANCIAL CAPACITY NSWALC must not approve unless the LALC demonstrate that; 1.the income (including any subsidies and grants) from the existing social housing scheme is or will be sufficient to meet all the expenses of the scheme, including long term maintenance requirements; 2.is not likely to prevent the LALC from being able to meet its debts as and when they fall due; and 3.it has considered the impact of the scheme on the overall financial position of the Local Aboriginal Land Council.

SUMMARY OF THE ISSUES A LALC has two options when making an application 1.To operate their own Social Housing Scheme [Schedule 4 Cl. 45] This may be managed internally or through a property manager 2.To outsource Lease to an alternative body [s40B] LALC Social Housing Scheme LALC will have to be able to prove that they have the administrative and financial capacity to operate the scheme to the satisfaction of NSWALC Outsource The body to which a scheme is outsourced will have to prove they have the administrative and financial capacity to operate the scheme to the satisfaction of NSWALC

COMMONWEALTH POLICY POSITIONS National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) currently being negotiated with States. Includes funding for Remote Indigenous Housing NSWALC understands that the Commonwealth requires Aboriginal land owners to lease their land to a state authority for at least 40 years before any monies will be provided to maintain the existing housing stock. No monies or new stock will be provided to Aboriginal Community housing providers Will this be the Policy in NSW ?

NSW GOVERNMENT POLICY POSITIONS ?

WHERE ARE WE NOW ????