Social housing: What is the alternative?

Recently I have noticed an understandable degree of concern at recent social housing developments, specifically at Pacific Link near Rawson Rd and Ocean Beach Rd.

Full disclosure: I live a few hundred metres from this proposed development, own my own home and have a young family.

I am no Nimby and let me explain why.

For work, I travel quite a bit, particularly though the United States.

In the United States, the social welfare system support payments, free healthcare, free education and social housing are markedly less resourced than here in Australia.

The result of under-resourced welfare is 20 per cent of the population is homeless, starving, affected with Middle Age diseases like tuberculosis, and aggressively begging from anyone who looks like they might have spare change.

The streets feel very unsafe to walk down, beautifully manicured public spaces are now partly camping sites, outdoor tips and bush toilets.

The scale is incredible, think tent cities everywhere, even small grassed spaces near train lines and main roads.

The next time you go for a stroll along the Ettalong or Woy Woy foreshore, consider how lucky we are that it's safe and beautiful and recognise our social welfare systems ensure it remains so.

This is why the Peninsula must embrace social housing.

Email, 26 Jan 2020

Luke Chell, Woy Woy