ACTCOSS to meet with ACT Government on housing program

The ACT Government has responded to a call by ACTCOSS for urgent meetings to review the implementation of the Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program.

“ACTCOSS has secured a meeting next week with the Director General and Deputy Director General of the Community Services Directorate which is responsible for Housing ACT,” the CEO of ACTCOSS, Dr Emma Campbell said today.

“We will also meet with the ACT Minister for Housing, Yvette Berry MLA in the following week.

“ACTCOSS also welcomes the urgent convening of the community sector advisory group to the Growing and Renewing Program.”

The ACT Government says that its Growing and Renewing Public Housing program gives public housing tenants in Canberra the chance to move out of their homes to newer homes so that older sites can be sold to raise revenue or be redeveloped into modern public housing.

However, two weeks ago over 300 ACT public housing tenants-including older people, people with chronic health issues and people with disability – were shocked to receive letters informing them that they must vacate their properties.

Dr Campbell said that ACTCOSS was collating case studies detailing the impact on vulnerable tenants in order to highlight the need for an urgent review of the program’s implementation.

Dr Campbell said: “Services have been overwhelmed by calls from tenants who have experienced significant fear and distress following receipt of a Housing ACT letter stating that they would have to vacate their homes.

“We hope that these real-life stories from vulnerable Canberrans will cause the ACT Government to halt this process and reassess the implementation of the Growing and Renewing program,” Dr Campbell concluded.

ACTCOSS advocates for social justice in the ACT and represents not-for-profit community organisations. Follow us @ACTCOSS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

For more information or comment, please contact

Dr Emma Campbell, CEO, ACTCOSS, on 0424 910 617.