Time to act: Housing All Australian’s founder and director Robert Pradolin addresses the crowd at the Let’s Talk Housing community event at Moama Bowling Club.
Affordable housing in Echuca-Moama and the social and economic ramifications for failing to address it were discussed at the Let’s Talk Housing event hosted by the Committee for Echuca-Moama at Moama Bowling Club on Thursday, October 6.
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The night included presentations from social epidemiologist Professor Rebecca Bentley from the University of Melbourne and Housing All Australian’s founder and director Robert Pradolin, who revealed some startling facts on the issue of affordable housing and homelessness.
Prof Bentley released a report — Affordable Housing in Echuca Moama: An Intergenerational Vision, funded by the Hallmark Initiative Affordable Housing Seed Fund 2021 and the University of Melbourne and undertaken in partnership with C4EM.
The report revealed some sobering facts about housing in the region.
These included:
Women over 55 are the age group at the highest risk of homelessness;
Rentals are being lost to the short-term accommodation market, like Airbnb;
Nine per cent and seven per cent of residents in Echuca and Moama respectively (aged 15 years or older) are estimated to be at risk of homelessness;
There are few apartments or flats in the region (less than one per cent in Echuca and eight per cent in Moama);
One fifth of Echuca residents and nearly one quarter of Moama residents live with a disability; and
Fifty five to 66 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents live in rented accommodation, compared to 23-29 per cent regional averages.
Prof Bentley’s research has also shown that even addressing something as simple as the correct level of heating in a home can prevent a range of health conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma and depression.
The long-term health benefits, as well as economic savings, means as a society we could spend up to $7.6 billion to eradicate cold housing and it would still be cost effective just on health outcomes alone, without factoring in higher levels of productivity, and energy and environmental gains.
Prof Bentley pointed out that housing affordability is a societal problem, not just an individual’s problem.
She suggested medium density developments, affordable housing initiatives and repurposing buildings for residential use were potential solutions for Echuca-Moama.
Mr Pradolin agreed with Prof Bentley.
The residential property developer founded HAA, a business-led initiative dedicated to helping address Australia’s chronic shortage of low-income affordable housing.
He believes it is in Australia’s long-term economic interest to house all Australians, rich or poor. And the statistics don’t lie.
According to HAA’s Give Me Shelter report, if we continue to do nothing about the affordability housing crisis, it will cost the community $25 billion annually by 2051.
“It’s not a quick fix. It’s taken decades to get here and it will take decades to get out of it,” Mr Pradolin said.
But he is optimistic that it can be done.
“There is goodwill out there and I believe it is unlimited,” he said.
The goal is to make the issue of affordable housing economically sustainable for business enterprises, including superannuation funds, who already invest billions of dollars on affordable housing projects in the United States.
HAA has already overseen the development of several short-term accommodation facilities in empty buildings in capital cities across Australia.
Mr Pradolin said the potential to use these buildings was significant.
“We need to see long-term policy change on both sides of politics before change can happen,” he said.
“We need to start taking risks. Otherwise, we do nothing.”
A panel of district business representatives also shared their experiences, solutions and challenges they had faced while trying to solve their own housing dilemmas.
These included Echuca Regional Health’s Angela Hussey, Shepparton Salvation Army’s Mariam Nagawa and Darren Maloney from Greenham’s, whose housing solution was to buy the Tongala Caravan Park and place workers in cabins on-site.
C4EM chief executive officer Deanne Armstrong said housing was such an important topic on the agenda for our communities and all over Australia.
“COVID has played a large role with the migration of people coming to regional communities, highlighting the need for conversations to discuss our infrastructure and support services into the future,” Ms Armstrong said.
“Health and support services are already under pressure, and we are struggling to attract workforce due to limited housing options.
“This needs to be a localised discussion to talk about these challenges and plan for future growth.”
Action required: The crowd at the Let’s Talk Housing event at Moama Bowling Club on October 6.
