The sale of a block of 12 units on Laurel Avenue owned by Northern NSW Health District (NNSWLHD), has prompted Lismore MP Janelle Saffin to lobby for their use as social housing instead of selling them off.

With Lismore’s housing vacancy rates below the NSW average, and a dire shortage on social housing, it’s a proposal fully supported by North Coast Community Housing boss, John McKenna.

Read more news: Health boss says sale of Laurel House will fund hospital services

Sell off

Ms Saffin said she was informed that the NNSWLHD was seeking to sell off the Lismore property Laurel Lodge at 137-139 Laurel Avenue, on the private real estate market.

“But with a high level of homelessness and rental stress in Lismore, it makes sense to keep it in public hands,” Ms Saffin said.

Ms Saffin said she this week made urgent representations to NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and other relevant Ministers to gauge their interest in her proposal ahead of a State Budget tipped to include hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for social housing.

“These units would be a great addition to our dearth of affordable housing stock in the Lismore area,” Ms Saffin said.

“The units are a little dated but are in reasonable condition and in a good location close to shops and Lismore’s Central Business District. They would be ideal for emergency housing for single women with young families.

“Alternatively, this is a unique opportunity to provide shelter and security for 12 local families or individual tenants on a longer term basis, but we must act decisively to seize it.

Lismore MP Janelle Saffin.

Lismore’s dire housing state – community housing boss speaks up

North Coast Community Housing chief executive John McKenna said with over 500 people currently on the social housing waitlist in Lismore, he fully supports Ms Saffin’s call for the units to be social housing.

“We have a great shortage of social housing at the moment,” Mr McKenna said.

“With 450 of those 500 of those looking for one and two bedroom outcomes, these units would fit that need well.

“If they were sold on the private market, they will be bought by a developer or private investor and rented at market rent. They won’t be available for people on the lowest income and that’s where the shortage is.”

North Coast Community Housing chief executive John McKenna.

Big competition

Mr McKenna said at the moment in Lismore, there was only a 0.5 % vacancy rate for housing, which was well below the State average and created big competition for those looking for somewhere to live.

“A healthy market has a 2-4% vacancy rate,” he said.

“Our new asset manager spent three weeks trying to find a property to rent for 400 a week, but when he went to the open houses there were about 40 to 50 people turning up to look at them.

“At the moment, we have 200 properties on our books where the owners are cancelling our leases using the 90 day no cause eviction clause and want to sell or rent them on the private market for more money.”

Saffin lobbies before the budget

“I again told the Treasurer that I welcome his recent media comments foreshadowing an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in social housing in next week’s NSW Budget.

“I am hoping that the NSW Government might see fit to add these units to its economic stimulus policy of encouraging job creation through building or maintaining more stock. I do not expect NSW Health to keep them and want the State to have them.”

Ms Saffin has sent her Housing Ends Homelessness Report and Advocacy Paper to the Treasurer, Housing Minister Melinda Pavey, Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Families, Communities and Disability Services Minister Gareth Ward.

“I wanted the Ministers to see that I am working constructively with all stakeholders across the Electorate of Lismore to find solutions,” Ms Saffin said.