Response to the New South Wales Housing Strategy Discussion Paper

In May 2020, the New South Wales Government called for input on the Housing Strategy for New South Wales Discussion Paper.

The Salvation Army’s response to this public consultation process informed the development of a new state wide, 20-year Housing Strategy for New South Wales, the Housing 2041 - NSW Housing Strategy. Our submission was prepared with the input and experience of our housing and homelessness streams.

The Salvation Army shares the vision set out in the Discussion paper for ‘housing that supports security, comfort and choice for all people at all stages of their lives’. Our service delivery experience shows that coordinated and sustained efforts are needed to address the critical issues associated with declining housing affordability and homelessness.

We believe that many of the issues associated with housing affordability and homelessness are structural and systemic and therefore recognise that a nationally coordinated approach will have the best chance of improving housing outcomes for New South Wales residents.

Some of the key issues discussed in this submission include our perspectives on the four key themes of the Discussion Paper: supply, diversity, affordability and resilience.

The Salvation Army looks forward to the implementation of the Housing 2041 - NSW Housing Strategy and maintain our commitment to bring evidence and experience in the homelessness and housing sectors to the table to help develop and implement innovative solutions.