The wait to reach the head of the queue to get into public housing is at least ten years, and yet few people really understand the philosophy that underpins this public service.
The original idea was to provide low cost housing for people earning low wages. The rent was calculated as a percentage of the wage that each tenant earned - and this would be regularly reviewed and adjusted upward as that person moved into a higher wage bracket.
It was never intended as " lifetime housing " once a person settled in !
Housing needs change dramatically over the average lifetime. People start life as a single and then develop a partnership with another. Usually there are kids and this couple becomes a family, until eventually the kids move on and that couple become elders seeing out their final years. It is not reasonable to expect the same dwelling to cover all those changing eras.
In an ideal world, public housing would move that person through life - from a flat to accommodate a single lifestyle, then onward to a three bedroom home for the family period - and finally to a retirement villa for the final years - but that rarely seems to happen.
One of the problems is that tenants tend to resist being moved. They become accustomed to and like the suburb in which they are living, and usually a move is dictated by where other suitable accommodation becomes available.
Then there is the problem of " public housing eligibility ". When the income level changes upward the rent is supposed to move in tandem, but surely there must be a limit where such a person no longer qualifies for public housing assistance. Public housing was supposed to be a transition - helping the lowly paid until such time as they could afford the private rental market - or were able to make the move to home owners !
What we are now seeing is a move to " squatters rights ". The original tenant either has middle aged kids still living at home, or because of the GFC, offspring have been priced out of the private rental market and have moved in with Mum and Dad. In some cases, the combined income in that home is way above what the Housing Commission is showing on it's books.
Getting Housing Commission accommodation is a valued prize and tenants have become adept at working the system to stay within the rules - and resisting all attempts to free up the availability by moving them on.
Perhaps what it most needed is a clear statement of public housing philosophy - and then the determination to stick to those rules and make the system work by moving tenants according to their needs - and as a final step - assisting those who have achieved a higher income level into become home owners !
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