Post by Uniting WA

Social housing eligibility in Western Australia currently operates as a cliff edge. Once a tenant earns above the threshold, they can lose access to support. This is leaving many Western Australians stuck in an affordability gap where they earn too much for social housing, but not enough to afford the private market. Shelter WA and Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) new report, The Eligibility Trap, sets out the consequences of this design. It finds that many renters are actively limiting their work, with nearly half turning down additional hours and a significant number avoiding job searching altogether due to concerns about losing their housing or waitlist position. Modelling in the report suggests that, for a single person, work becomes financially viable compared to social housing at between $98,000–$104,000 per year. The report makes a strong case for reviewing how these thresholds are structured. Encouraging workforce participation while maintaining housing stability is a complex policy challenge, and an important one to address for both individuals and the broader community. Thank you to the teams at Shelter WA and AHURI for this useful and timely research. Read the full report at this link: https://ow.ly/KAON50Ziwgh