Sustainable housing paradigms? The impact of reforms on the social housing sector in South Australia and Northern Ireland

Abstract

This paper considers the impact of reform on the social housing sectors in Northern Ireland and South Australia. Over the last decade there has been substantial change in the delivery of social housing in both jurisdictions. In Northern Ireland greater policy emphasis has been placed on promoting home ownership, while in Australia the small stock of social housing has been reserved for those most in need. In addition, access to social housing has become enmeshed with the provision of other human services. Currently 45 per cent of new social housing tenants have a disability and 80 per cent of all tenants in Australia are in receipt of some form of government income support. In both Northern Ireland and South Australia housing reform has challenged the long-term survival of public housing, with growing levels of tenant debt, rising eviction rates and increasing pressure for other forms of housing assistance. This paper maps the nature of these reforms, discusses their impacts and considers the range of policy options available to governments.