Housing summit looks at ways to solve Illawarra crisis

That was the question Michele Adair, chief executive officer of the Housing Trust, put to the 100-plus people who attended the Confront the Crisis housing summit on Tuesday.

The event was a call to action in the face of a worsening crisis gripping the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, where 22,700 very low to moderate income households are experiencing housing stress and a growing number are waiting for social housing.

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Community Housing Industry Association NSW CEO Mark Degotardi said it was not enough to simply ask the sector to innovate when it came to solutions, and called on governments - including whatever state government came in after the March election - to step in.

"Let's not pretend as a community we can solve this problem without investment," Mr Degotardi said, adding that significant expenditure was needed.

He also stressed that collaboration between various stakeholders, including community housing, government, developers and banking, was vital.

"The power of partnership is what's going to solve this problem," Mr Degotardi said.

Business Illawarra executive director Adam Zarth said 93 per cent of the organisation's members reported workforce issues and 43 per cent of these attributed them to the housing crisis.

"From our perspective, this is an economic crisis as much as a social one," Mr Zarth said.

Business Illawarra analysis had found that the ratio of income spent on rent in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven was 40 per cent, he said, compared to elsewhere.

Mr Zarth said the organisation wanted to unlock more housing at the lower end of the market for key workers.

He outlined draft recommendations out of research that Business Illawarra commissioned from Dr Judith Stubbs, including the adoption of affordable housing targets for the region through to 2041.

But he added that short-term measures such as 'meanwhile use' housing - using empty buildings to provide accommodation - were also needed.

Mr Zarth said removing barriers in the planning process, such as reducing assessment times, were another avenue, noting that the system needed to make better use of the planners it had.

Another recommendation was to facilitate lower-cost housing types, such as manufactured housing.

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Mr Zarth also raised the possibility of looking at government land for partnership with community housing organisations, and the opportunity to set aside land in major education and health precincts for housing for workers.

"We want to encourage the government from being a regulator to a facilitator in providing housing," he said.

Attendees also heard from Steven Turner, director of development company ColonySix, which was working on both the WIN Grand and Port Kembla Master Plan projects.

Mr Turner said his company was working with BlueScope Steel on the best possible uses for about 200 hectares of land in Port Kembla, and another 200 at Kembla Grange.

The redevelopment of land in the Port Kembla area alone could generate 30,000 new jobs, he said, but the limiting factor was a lack of people to fill the roles.

Mr Turner said housing was also needed for the people to work in the industries that might set up in this space.

The panel applauded the call from Lendlease - one of Australia's largest developers - for governments to mandate a minimum 30 per cent affordable, social and build-to-rent homes in all new developments.

Mr Turner said this position would force people to think about how developments were contributing to affordable housing, while Ms Adair said it was "outstanding" leadership and a proposal that was a "no-brainer".

"It's a shame that governments seem to be lagging behind," Mr Degotardi said.

Ms Adair closed the event with another question, telling attendees that each night she went to bed knowing she had done everything she could to realise the Housing Trust vision: "a decent home for everyone, where they can build the life they choose".

"Can I ask everyone of you to do the same?" she said.

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