There are fresh calls for Shoalhaven Council to do more to address the housing crisis amid reports the number of people waiting for affordable and social housing in NSW has blown out to more than 57,000.
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Cr Serena Copley has called on council to look for more options to boost social and affordable housing availability for Shoalhaven families in need, in the wake of the "startling figures".
"That's a crisis point that we just can't ignore," Cr Copley said.
"I'm calling on our council to look at every mechanism that we have available to us to be able to find a solution or do something that can ease that burden on our community."
Cr Copley said while housing was primarily the responsibility of state and federal governments, "It's time to look at all options that we have."
That included looking at land releases, changing zoning and planning laws, and partnering with community groups and not-for-profit organisations, she said.
"In recent days we have seen truly shocking statistics emerging regarding social housing wait lists across NSW.
"The number of people waiting for accommodation has exploded in the last 18 months and I'm calling on the Shoalhaven Council to think more broadly to activate all mechanisms to deliver more affordable and social housing," Cr Copley said.
"We need to be looking at all possible land releases, improvements to planning controls, investigating more opportunities to partner with the State Government and of course not for profit organisations," she said.
"It's absolutely time to put all our cards on the table."
Cr Copley called for more a greater focus on housing while standing beside a development in Coomea Street, Bomaderry, where 39 affordable housing units were under construction.
She said the development was a partnership between council, Southern Cross Housing and NSW Department of Communities and Justice and was "an excellent example of a great project that has just been too slow to be delivered".
Designs for the project were commenced in 2017, Cr Copley said, yet "seven years later the project has still not been completed".
She also called for an upgrade to social housing around Mandalay area in Nowra, close to where the Shoalhaven Hospital is being redeveloped.
Cr Copley said the area was "outdated and needs updating urgently - we can't wait any longer".
"The redevelopment of the Shoalhaven Hospital is well underway and when this project is finished, we will have a surge in demand for housing to accommodate the staff from the hospital," she said.
"This will add additional pressure to a housing market already at breaking point."
