2017-04-11 P&E Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 1 Housing Needs Assessment

       People with a disability and their carers who are 36% more likely to experience housing
        stress compared to the general population. This is because of a lack of appropriate
        housing, high costs of relocation and lower earning capacity;
       Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are over-represented amongst those
        experiencing homelessness, struggling to access housing and residing in overcrowded
        dwellings;
       People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds who experience
        difficulty in obtaining and sustaining suitable housing;
       Older people, who are increasingly vulnerable to housing stress and homelessness due to
        their fixed incomes.

The Housing Strategy is expected to be delivered in early 2017.

2.3.4    Noosa Social Strategy 2015
Noosa Social Strategy was adopted by Council in 2015 as a framework to continue to improve the
wellbeing and cohesiveness of the community, and address the social opportunities and
challenges faced in the future. As well as the strategy, an implementation plan includes new
initiatives, ongoing commitments and actions and performance indicators to be reported on
every 12 months, and reviewed every 3-5 years.

Key issues with potential implications for housing identified in the strategy include:

       Overall, there is a need for improved coordination and collection of local data to better
        inform decision making;
       The older and ageing population is creating additional demand for services for seniors;
       Emerging vulnerable groups in the community include some lone person households,
        LGBTI+ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex), and disengaged young people;
       Homelessness is an increasing issue especially for young people – the strategy suggests
        that a multi-faceted, coordinated approach with strong partnerships between
        government, not-for-profit groups, and the community is needed to address
        homelessness;
       Availability of affordable housing (and limited housing diversity), rental housing and short-
        term crisis housing were raised as issues – the shortage of affordable housing contributing
        to homelessness;
       Access to government services including health and other services is limited for residents
        without access to reliable transport;
       Availability of support, respite and affordable independent living options is limited for
        young people and adults with an intellectual or physical disability (and their carers);
       NDIS and aged care reform, and the pace of these policy changes, is impacting the
        community, Council, individual residents, and organisations providing services;
       Gaps in public and community transport are restricting access to support services,
        employment and social options especially for hinterland residents and young people.

The strategy groups social aspirations into four themes: cohesive and resilient community, active
and healthy community, accessible, diverse and affordable community, and creative and informed
community.




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