Unsustainable housing policies

Investing in a house with a social cause, built to the right housing standards, could be subsidised by the government either through a tax break or a top up in rental payments.

I strongly believe this model would attract investors, and it's one I've built a business on.

People want to help. They want to do more than it in their living rooms and listen to the daily news telling them how dire the situation is for so many people without a roof over their head.

Taking the power away from community groups, who want properties for free, while still getting handouts from the government, which is the intention behind the Housing Future Fund.

It is the power of the people that can fix the problem, rather than significant government intervention.

To achieve this, however, the government needs to act to encourage investors.

Thenow defunct National Rental Affordability Scheme, or similar model, should be reinstated, but extended beyond single person households into shared accommodation.

To use a well-worn analogy, we don't need to reinvent the wheel, or even buy a new car, just put on better tyres!

The government's plan with the Housing Fund would involve investing in the stock market to produce a return, which then gets invested in property. This is a convoluted long way to go about things.

Why not just subsidise rents, which is done all over the world?

The new government changes to the NDIS enacted from July, which include, a premium for risk to the investor, a greater understanding of tenancy demand, and the ability of people with disability to finally live with their friends andfamily, will be effective in easing the accommodation crisis within the disability sector.

There is no doubt these are welcome changes that will make things easier, however, there remains much work to be done in that space.