A fine quote from the decision of the European Committee of Socials Rights in the complaint of Woonzaak against the Flemish government:

"The policy shift whereby housing is no longer regarded as a social good and a human right but is considered primarily a means to accumulate individual wealth and generate financial gain is known as ‘financialization’ (...). In the Flemish case, this shift is illustrated by policies such as the deregulation of the private rental market or the preponderance of tax advantages for homeowners, resulting in inflated land and housing costs on the one hand, and plummeting affordability for the most vulnerable groups on the other hand. An approach which relies solely on the market to ensure access to housing is incompatible with Article 16 of the Charter, as it does not adequately guarantee that the needs of vulnerable groups are met." #HousingCrisis #vlareg

The City of Moreton Bay claims homeless people “consented” to having their tents and belongings – including a woman’s daughter’s ashes – thrown in the bin. This is what passes for policy now?
We’re criminalising poverty, bulldozing dignity, and calling it governance. Fines over $8,000 for sleeping rough, yet zero accountability for systemic failure.
If this is the norm, we’re in deep moral decline.

#homelessness #australia #housingcrisis #humanrights #moretonbay #poverty #socialjustice #brisbane #auspol

abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/mor…

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^{Kenji Sato (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)}

I grew up in cooperative social housing. The model is that a not-for-profit organisation (with government funding) buys houses within a community area and rents them to people within that community. Rents are capped at 25% of the household income or at cost (which ever is lower).

The people within this community manage rent collection and maintenance requests.
Tenancy is long term so tenants have leeway in making modifications to the house. Even major modifications are possible with consultation with the community group.

This gives people that majority of benefits of home ownership without having to be property investors.

The not-for-profit can use the equity in their property portfolio to purchase or build new properties.

It's a great model for housing for people across a wide range of income levels.

Chronic under funding in the past 25yrs hasn't allowed these cooperatives to grow with population growth so this option isn't available to most people.

Most people don't actually want to own a house, they just want location stability and the ability to paint their walls.

cehl.com.au/

#auspol #HousingCrisis #HousingPolicy