AFFORDABLE HOUSING

It’s winter and the compassionate and sincere people are out in force talking up the need for “affordable housing” for the homeless. The comments are everywhere but I have yet to see even one solid, substantial, practical suggestion on HOW to provide this housing.
Shareholders of building companies won’t buy the idea – they want dividends and why not. And once we had a State Housing Commission with a Public Works Department who housed thousands of needy people some years ago.
Like June Beilby (Comment, SMH August 6) I came through the ranks of Nissen hut, and then to Housing Commission house and then onwards. Many of my compatriots did the same because housing was unavailable and unaffordable.
So is there an answer, especially if the homeless and evicted won’t go to country towns where there appear to be more vacancies; and the land availability in the Sydney Basin is just about non-existent so what is the answer? Small low rise blocks of units go well on blocks of land currently housing a single home – often in reasonable distance from bus routes and train lines.
Low rise blocks of units (many people these days appear to like close living) but spread across the suburbs of Sydney, not the huge blocks we saw a few years ago, almost ghettos and self proliferating in their probable misery.
But ultimately it is not the charities or compassionate people who must find the answer to the problem. The answer must come from the State Government – Can they ignore the demands of speculators? I am not so sure.
So go to it State Government – reinstate the two abovementioned State Govt departments and get on with it.