Summit for housing solutions

A REGIONAL Affordable Housing Summit will be held in Creswick on Tuesday, 4 October.

Minister for Housing Danny Pearson announced the event which will aim to find innovative solutions to affordable housing problems in booming regional areas, including homes for workers.

State and local leaders, and businesspeople, will be brought together at the summit for forums and networking.

“It’s a good thing that our regions are growing, but we recognize this surge in regional migration puts pressure on the supply of affordable housing,” Mr Pearson said.

“By building social and affordable housing in regional Victoria through the Big Housing Build and other initiatives, we’re responding to the increasing population in Victoria’s growth areas and creating more rental housing to support employment growth in regional towns and cities.”

Member for Western Victoria in the upper house, Stuart Grimley, has been lobbying for an event like this with an aim to find solutions to the regional housing crisis, and share community views about housing affordability and accessibility.

He said he’s “over the moon” to see some action.

“This housing summit is a step in the right direction for all regional Victorians,” he said.

“I’d like to thank the government for taking my advice on board and acting on it. The government knows that I have been on the ground talking to regional Victorians about their problems and working on ways to help solve them.

“Councils, businesses, and other organisations in Western Victoria want to have their voices heard and the Summit will give them this opportunity.

“Regional Victoria is very different to metropolitan Victoria. I live in regional Victoria, I represent people in regional Victoria, and we want to have our say on our future and our way of life, because we live and work here.”

Summit attendees will include Pearson, Minister for Regional Development Harriet Shing, community housing experts, representatives of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, and members of Regional Partnerships and Regional Development Australia Committees.

“It is critical to grow housing for locals and people moving to the regions for work, which is why we’re bringing together leaders and decision makers to overcome barriers and increase affordable housing across regional Victoria,” Ms Shing said.