fbpx

Housing plan to address shortage

February 26, 2021 BY

Homes for all: A new plan for increased social housing is seeking community feedback. Photo: FILE

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 document says.

There are several challenges the Ten-Year Social and Affordable Housing Strategy aims to address, including: housing supply, long waiting lists, a changing profile of need, and an affordable housing market.

“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.”

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 in order 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.