04/08/2026
𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: Structural Solutions to Structural Problems
Australia’s homelessness crisis is driven first & foremost by financial strain & structural housing shortages - not individual circumstances - atleast to begin with anyway. Everything else wrong with this country flows on from that - DV, job loss, financial strain, mental health decline, poverty, stigma. While we do nothing - it gets worse.
So, to my engineering mind, it makes sense that if the core problem is structural - the solutions have to be structural too.
1. 𝗙𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 - 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲
a) Investment into large, long-term programs to construct & acquire social housing stock outside of cities.
b) Prioritise the vulnerable: women & children escaping DV, first nations communities, young people leaving care, older renters.
𝟮. 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴
a) Expand not‑for‑profit community housing providers with stable funding & cheaper finance.
b) Let them partner with private developers & lenders to deliver mixed‑tenure projects.
3. 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁
a) Inclusionary zoning: require a % of new developments to be affordable rentals.
b) Long‑term rent‑controlled leases & incentive schemes for investors, backed by government guarantees & subsidies.
𝟰. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿
a) Incentives or levies to shift short‑stay/holiday rentals back into long‑term housing.
b) Bring vacant properties into use via tax settings, penalties, or “use it or lose it” style measures. Particularly for parcels of land that a further from citiies.
𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀
a) Lobby governments to lower inflation by stopping needless spending on useless projects. Homelessness should be a priority.
b) Strengthen income: raise income to realistic levels relative to local rents.
c) Rental Protections: tighten rules around rent increases & evictions without due cause.
d) Specialised government funding & housing for DV survivors: sharp, short interventions wrapped around legal, financial & trauma support to get families rehomed in longer housing within weeks, not months.
e) Investment into remote housing & infastructure.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 - 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲?
- Local advocacy: Push councils & states to support social housing projects.
- Support campaigns for stronger tenancy protections & higher income assistance
- Collaborate with community minded developers, builders & private finance lenders
- Keep reframing the homelessness narrative: It's a housing system failure, not an individual failure
- Challenge myths that blame “poor choices” instead of policy.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we can combat homelessness together?