Wakiil guri-iibsi oo bilaash ku dayacaya inuu 20 guri oo dowladda ah ee ACT dayactiro
Jonny Warren, oo ah wakiil guri-iibsi ee Canberra, ayaa doonaya inuu si bilaash ah u dayactiro ama u cusboonaysiiyo 20 guri oo dadweynaha ah ee ACT. Warren wuxuu mar la kulmay cidlaan, wuxuuna rajeynayaa inay deganaansho noqdaan kago dambeysa Kirismas.
Dad badan oo sugaya guryo iyo guryo banaan
Waxaa jira in ka badan 580 guri oo dadweynaha ah oo banaan ee ACT, kuwaas oo 285 ka mid ah u baahan dayactir ama casriyeyn ka hor inta aan la kireyn. Tani waxay dhacaysaa iyadoo qiyaastii 3,650 qof oo la ansixiyay ay sugayaan liiska guryaha dadweynaha ee Canberra.
Celceliska sugitaanka guri mudnaan leh waa in ka badan shan bilood, halka kan guryaha caadiga ah uu yahay in ka badan shan sano. Tani waxay muujinaysaa baahida degdeg ah ee nidaamka guryaha dadweynaha ee gobolka.
Taageerada xubinta baarlamaanka iyo wada-hadalka dowladda
Xildhibaan madax-banaani ah Thomas Emerson ayaa taageeray qorshaha Warren ee ah in 20 guri la dayactiro kago dambeysa Kirismas. Dowladda ACT waa la xiriiriyay oo wada-tashiga kooxda Warren ayaa la qorsheeyay subaxda xigta.
Warren wuxuu leeyahay: "We'll start small and get those 20 numbers and the 20 houses and then if we achieve that and do it with ease and with all the support that we do have, then we can shoot a little bit higher". Hadafkiisu waa 100 guri iyo 100 qof oo xariiqda laga saarayo sannadka dambe.
Aragtiyada ururada gargaarka guryaha
Jo Farrell, Guddoomiyaha Housing All Australians ACT, ayaa soo dhaweysay hindisaha laakiin sheegtay in dayactirku u baahan yahay wax ka badan rinji iibsasho. Waxay tiri: "There's a level of dignity and there's a level of quality that needs to be implemented with this".
Corinne Dobson oo ka tirsan ACT Shelter ayaa ku tilmaantay mashruuca mid la soo dhaweynayo, laakiin aan beddel u ah horumarka dowladda. Waxay tiri: "We know it's not a substitute for the government actually improving their processes, increasing investment and really making improvements to the condition of public housing".
Jonny Warren, a Canberra real estate agent who once experienced homelessness, has pledged to renovate 20 vacant public housing properties in the ACT at no cost to the government, with a target completion date of Christmas.
A Personal Mission to Fix Empty Homes
Jonny Warren, who began his real estate career in 2014 after overcoming a past addiction and homelessness, was moved to action after witnessing a mother and her young child sleeping in a car during a charity patrol. That encounter, combined with his own experience of living on the streets, inspired him to lead a campaign to renovate 20 of the ACT government's vacant public housing dwellings pro bono, with the goal of having tenants in them by Christmas.
Warren says the work is not massive construction but rather final touches such as deep cleaning, new paint, carpets and tap fittings to make the properties liveable again. He has already attracted a large number of volunteer tradespeople eager to help, though he acknowledges that more hands are always needed to meet the demand.
A Severe Housing Crisis in the ACT
The initiative comes against a backdrop of a deepening housing crisis in the ACT, where more than 580 public housing dwellings are currently vacant, with 285 of those requiring upgrades or maintenance before they can be tenanted. Despite this, approximately 3,650 approved applicants remain on the public housing waitlist, with priority housing waits exceeding five months and standard housing waits stretching beyond five years.
Independent MLA Thomas Emerson has backed Warren's plan and called on the government to address the contradiction of having hundreds of empty homes while thousands of Canberrans are in desperate need. Emerson noted that the waitlist grew by more than 150 applicants in the first half of the year, while vacancies increased by more than 50, describing the situation as insane.
Community Leaders Welcome but Cautious on Scope
Jo Farrell, Chair of Housing All Australians ACT, welcomed the project but warned that fixing properties requires more than simply buying paint, emphasising the need for dignity and quality for long-term residents. She stressed that the issue is a society-wide challenge requiring collaborative action between the community, industry and government rather than placing blame on any single sector.
Corinne Dobson from ACT Shelter described the project as a welcome initiative that offers hope to those waiting years for housing, but cautioned that it is not a substitute for the government improving its processes, increasing investment and making fundamental improvements to the condition of public housing. Warren says he and his team have a meeting with the government scheduled for the following morning.
