The Home Hub has released its new initiative Homes for Good, a whole-of-community response to the housing crisis in Western Australia. The initiative is a response to the increased housing need presented by COVID-19, and will support long-term systems change.
Launched in November 2019 by Hon. Luke Howarth, Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services, The Home Hub is a centralised and independently managed website. Homes for Good is an extension of The Home Hub platform, and a coordinated response to the worsening housing and homelessness crisis.
The platform is asking for people to submit:
- Homes for good: any vacant or available properties, including houses, unused holiday homes, hotel rooms and short-term rental properties
- Management capacity: including community housing providers, property managers, government departments, hoteliers and self/private managers
- Need for housing: anyone requiring safe accommodation, including seniors, low-income earners, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, anyone fleeing family and domestic violence, as well as anyone needing to move or find accomodation as a result of COVID-19
Iain Shields, Founding Director of The Home Hub said “all people have the opportunity to use their available homes, accommodation and rooms to help others during a crisis. Right now, that crisis is COVID-19.”
Mr Shields says people he sees using and benefiting from the platform during the pandemic include medical staff such as doctors, nurses and paramedics, community service workers, and government staff such as emergency service personnel.
“People may be required to self isolate and need a safe place to do that,” he said. “Or medical staff might need to move closer to the hospitals and clinics where they’re working. This platform can serve our community heroes in an unprecedented time of need.”
The launch comes as Leilani Farha, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, called for immediate measures to prevent people falling into homelessness, and ensure access to adequate housing.
“Housing has become the front-line defence against the coronavirus,” she said. “Home has rarely been more of a life or death situation.”
Michelle Mackenzie, CEO of Shelter WA supports the platform, saying “the Homes for Good initiative is going to help us all during the COVID-19 crisis and also support improved systemic work in the future”.
Homes for Good is also supported by Hon. Ben Wyatt, Minister for Land and Treasurer in WA, the WA Alliance to End Homelessness, and other nonprofit and charitable organisations, government departments and the private sector.
To register available properties, managers, or a need for housing, visit homehub.org.au.