Today, Evolve Housing participated at the Western Sydney Community Forum to discuss the future of service delivery and funding opportunities and solutions to deliver more social and affordable housing and specialist homelessness services in the Greater Sydney region.  

The event was co-sponsored by Evolve Housing, with notable speakers in attendance including the Hon Rose Jackson MLC, Minister for Housing, Homes NSW CEO Rebecca Pinkstone, Platform Youth Services CEO Stephanie Oatley, Birribee Housing CEO Paul Coe, and Evolve Housing CEO Lyall Gorman.  

A panel of experts in housing, they spoke about the innovative opportunities and actionable solutions needed to address the housing crisis head on. The soaring prices and scarcity of affordable housing options for those who need it most is putting the Greater Sydney area at risk of instability. Together they agreed that more needed to be done and that now is the time to begin developing the much-needed housing.  

They further discussed the urgent need to do more to tackle the housing crisis with our CEO Lyall Gorman calling on everyone to advocate loud and clear to the federal government to add more value to the Housing Australia Future Fund Facility (HAFFF) fund.  

“Community Housing is the heart and soul of people who need it most and we need to be able to give government solutions to change the situation,” he said. 

“We need to focus on the social impact that social and affordable housing and homelessness have on people and how we can develop more homes and reduce the waitlist.”  

Minister Rose Jackson stressed that individuals and families used to be able to afford a home, but lack of affordability and supply has caused strain on those looking for a place to call home. 

“It’s not just the housing supply, it’s the social and affordable housing supply that needs to grow with those who need it most given the opportunity to live in a safe and secure home,” she said.  

“The increase in rent has caused further strain on families and individuals who are forced to pay more of their income on rent rather than being able to shop around for another place that has cheaper rent. The supply for housing simply does not exist.” 

As a leading Community Housing Provider in Western Sydney, Evolve Housing know the dire situation faced by many Australians. With rising interest rates, increasing costs of living and housing unaffordability, it’s imperative we increase the supply of housing, specifically that of social and affordable housing to help struggling Australians who are faced with a 10+ year social housing waitlist. We look forward to working with our partners and government to continue making a change for those who need it. 

Thank you to Western Sydney Community Forum for hosting this important event and allowing us to be a part of this necessary conversation.