Homes for all: State seeks feedback on social and affordable housing strategy

THE state government wants to create a strategy on how and where to build social and affordable housing in Victoria over the next decade, and is calling on individuals and organisations to shape how it will look.

According to a discussion paper on the strategy released earlier this month, social housing – defined as rental housing provided either by government or the community housing sector and supported with a subsidy of some kind – is a “central plank of Victoria’s housing response”.

“It provides a critical safety net for people with very low incomes, many of whom experience other challenges that mean they cannot access appropriate housing in the market,” the paper said.

“There is also a growing need for dedicated affordable housing for low- and moderate-income working households so that they can get access to the employment, education and services needed to support their own – and Victoria’s – social and economic prosperity.

“There is an urgent need to ensure enough homes are available, in the right locations, that are accessible to all Victorians.

“From this foundation, all Victorians need to be able to access the health, social and economic support they need to realise their full potential.

“A fundamental step change in policy and delivery is needed to embed the foundations for growth and sustainability of social and affordable housing in Victoria.”

There are several challenges the Ten-Year Social and Affordable Housing Strategy aims to address, including:

• Housing supply not keeping pace with demand – Victoria has Australia’s lowest proportion of social housing, at 3.0 per cent compared to the national average of 4.2 per cent
• The resulting long waiting lists – more than 48,000 households are registered for social housing with 25,800 requiring urgent assistance, but only 4,780 new allocations were made in 2018-19
• A changing profile of need – the composition of the state’s social housing stock no longer reflects the needs of Victorians, and
• A nascent affordable housing market – there is very little dedicated affordable housing in Victoria and the only supply of any scale comes through the National Rental Affordability Scheme, which included almost 6,000 homes at its peak but many of these will disappear when the scheme wraps up in 2025–26.

“This 10-year strategy will provide the roadmap for a stronger and more sustainable housing system for Victoria,” Minister for Housing Richard Wynne said.

“People will be at the centre of this strategy – and we want to hear from as many Victorians as possible through the consultation process.

“Our unprecedented investment in safe, secure housing will change lives – not only putting a roof over people’s heads but creating thousands of jobs as we rebuild from coronavirus.”

The City of Greater Geelong is thinking about social housing over an even longer term, appointing a 12-person committee in January to provide advice about the implementation of the council’s Social Housing Plan 2020-2041.

The plan aims to provide 13,500 new social housing dwellings by 2041 to meet the significant demand in the Greater Geelong region.

To learn more about the Ten-Year Social and Affordable Housing Strategy for Victoria, read the discussion paper or make a submission as a community member or the representative of an organisation or the housing sector, head to engage.vic.gov.au/ten-year-social-and-affordable-housing-strategy-victoria.