An offer of free work to fix up 20 public housing properties before Christmas faces running aground because the pro bono proposal is largely incompatible with the government's rules for contracts and public works.
Independent MLA Thomas Emerson will seek support in the Legislative Assembly for the offer, which was put forward in August by a group of local tradespeople and businesses.
"Like the hundreds of Canberrans putting their hands up to help, I'm right behind this initiative - and the ACT government should be too. Canberrans see the growing problem of homelessness across our community, and are stepping up to be part of the solution," Mr Emerson said.
The member for Kurrajong said the team had the labour and resources ready and just needed the go-ahead from the ACT government.
More than 200 Canberrans have volunteered to help with the initiative, which would require the government to identify 20 suitable homes for the campaign.
But Housing Minister Suzanne Orr has written to the group, led by real estate agent Jonny Warren and mental health advocate Adam Mumford, after meeting them to thank them for the offer and explain the government's issues with the plan.
"Whilst the [20 homes before Christmas] proposal reflects a genuine desire to help, existing arrangements already ensure vacant properties are returned as quickly as practicable whilst meeting safety, quality, compliance and value-for-money requirements," Ms Orr wrote on September 11.
"Furthermore, the territory has an obligation to ensure that work is undertaken on public housing assets is appropriately managed, supervised and insured, and that properties are allocated through established processes that promote fairness, transparency and appropriate matching of applicants to available homes.
"These requirements are important safeguards for tenants, volunteers, contractors and the territory."
Mr Warren, who has experienced homelessness, said the idea for the offer began in the lead-up to the St Vincent de Paul Society's CEO Sleepout.
"We met a mother and her four-year-old son sleeping in their car because their home was no longer safe due to domestic violence. I could not stop thinking about that little boy, trying to sleep in a car, with nowhere safe to wake up, while his mum did everything she could to protect him," Mr Warren said.
"Then we learned there were 588 vacant public housing properties across the ACT. We are not asking for all of them. We're simply asking for 20 properties to bring together local trades, businesses and supporters, help get those homes ready, and give people like that mother and her son somewhere safe to live by Christmas."
The Legislative Assembly will on Wednesday debate Mr Emerson's motion calling on the government to find 20 suitable homes for the volunteer initiative and evaluate the program by March.
Mr Emerson pointed to the 284-day average vacancy period for Housing ACT properties awaiting maintenance or upgrades.
"This initiative offers an opportunity to transform the lives of vulnerable Canberrans, while freeing up government resources to do more in tackling the housing crisis," he said.
But Ms Orr's letter said of the 858 vacant properties renovated in 2025-26, 267 required basic works and were returned in an average of 11 days, another 325 needed basic repairs and were returned in an average of 28 days. The average times had also fallen in the past quarter, she wrote.
"Our concern with your proposal is that it will introduce delays into this process, particularly as [Programmed Facilities Management] has demonstrated its ability to return routine vacant properties to service in an average of eight days. These are the same types of properties your proposal suggests would be targeted," the letter said.
The ACT government has previously said it would end Programmed's contract and move all repairs and maintenance in-house in 2027.
Ms Orr also encouraged the group to contact Programmed about operating as a subcontractor with all the standard requirements, offering minor repairs and household maintenance to assist public housing tenants who opt in, or supporting community housing providers.
"Given their comparatively smaller scale and resource base, the pro bono services being offered may deliver a more significant benefit to [community housing provider] operations than the territory," she wrote.
"Furthermore, partnering with [community housing providers] may provide greater flexibility to establish collaborative arrangements without some of the governance, procurement and approval requirements that apply to territory-managed public housing assets."
