SOMEONE joining the social-housing waitlist in the Balranald area can expect to be waiting for two years – the kind of delay a statewide taskforce is looking to reduce.
In regional areas, prefabricated homes have been pitched as the NSW Government seeks solutions for the lack of social housing.
Modular housing is one of the key focuses of a new cross-industry taskforce created to investigate modern methods of construction and how they can be used to deliver housing sooner.
The taskforce is made up of representatives from peak bodies, government architects, industry suppliers, union representatives and those with lived experience of social housing.
They are all hoping to make more housing available for those who need it most, to create high-quality, eco-friendly affordable housing.
A spot on the waitlist for social housing in the Balranald area comes with an expected waiting time of up to two years, no matter the size of the home.
This is compared with a five- to 10-year wait for social housing in Sydney’s inner city, where more than 50,000 applicants are on the list compared to less than five in Balranald.
Modular housing is seen as particularly suitable in regional areas where construction costs and time taken can grow due to external factors.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said “everyone deserves access to safe and secure shelter”.
“The NSW Government is committed to exploring new ways we can better support people in some of the most vulnerable situations,” he said.
“With a growing population and an already extended waitlist for housing, we need to get moving.”
Balranald Shire Council were contacted for comment.
