ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the need for horizontal and vertical integration of data, information and knowledge within and across departments and organisations to provide a more comprehensive rationale for a sustainable social housing system. From an Australian perspective, it also explores and discusses the integration required to determine the broad spectrum of social housing benefits and outcomes from this productivity perspective. The effective and appropriate provision of social housing, as an integral part of the housing continuum, is increasingly difficult in light of fiscal constraints and increasing housing needs being experienced globally, especially since the global financial crisis of 2007–2009. The chapter presents a case study of a multi-agency collaboration to better portray the whole-of-society and whole-of-government productivity benefits of providing safe and secure social housing. A further key challenge is to better understand and quantify the broader productivity benefits from investment in social housing, for tenants, the community and the wider economy.
