Briefs

With energy costs for home heating and cooling likely to be high for some time, particularly across Australia’s eastern states and territories, improving the thermal characteristics of residential properties (especially rental properties) is of real concern.

This Brief quantifies some of the financial savings governments may make in health, justice and welfare costs when they fund support for people who are experiencing homelessness. It also highlights a range of better life outcomes vulnerable people may achieve through the use of homelessness support services.

A significant proportion of young people who experience homelessness have previously been in the state care and protection system. This Brief explores what the financial cost could be to government if a Rent Subsidy Scheme was introduced, aimed at preventing young people leaving state care from becoming homeless. Through the proposed Scheme, all young people leaving state care would pay no more than 25 per cent of their income for housing up to the age of 25.

Sustaining tenancy programs assist tenants who are at risk of losing their rental accommodation to stay in their homes and therefore ‘avoid eviction and entry into homelessness.’ Tenant support programs may also help some tenants at the beginning of their tenancy by supporting formerly homeless people enter and sustain a new rental tenancy. 

There are costs to the general economy when there is a mismatch between the location of jobs, affordable housing opportunities and inadequate public transport. This Brief demonstrates that when good transport and other infrastructure connects householders to a wide range of employment opportunities, urban productivity can be enhanced.