In a significant move to tackle Victoria’s housing crisis, the state government has unveiled a new breakdown of its ambitious $1 billion Regional Housing Fund.
Of the 1,025 homes set to be built in regional areas, almost 90 per cent are dedicated to social housing. The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) has expressed strong support for this initiative, which includes 700 public housing units, 211 community housing units, and 114 affordable homes.
The government also announced the specific locations of these new homes by region, alongside a suite of measures aimed at addressing homelessness and the chronic shortage of affordable housing.
These measures include the creation of 50 activity centres in suburbs with robust access to transport, educational facilities, and maternal and child health services.
CHP Acting Chief Executive Officer Tom Johnson has called on the Victorian Government to commit to a minimum percentage of social housing in these new activity centres to ensure those in need benefit directly.
“This important announcement will make a real difference in the lives of regional Victorians struggling to put a roof over their heads,” he said.
“The Victorian Government must be applauded for responding to the huge demand we’re seeing in regional areas for more public and community housing.
“Over the past week, the Victorian Government has sent a strong message that public housing is a top-line priority.”
With approximately 70 per cent of the new Regional Housing Fund homes allocated to public housing, Mr Johnson underscored the critical role of public housing in preventing homelessness.
“About 70 per cent of these new Regional Housing Fund homes will be public housing. That is essential because we know people experiencing homelessness get the best outcomes in public housing.”
Research, he noted, “has shown a strong correlation between public housing and preventing homelessness because it offers long-term, secure homes for people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to that important stability.”
With the introduction of activity centres, CHP sees a further opportunity to enhance social housing offerings across regional Victoria.
“The recently announced activity centres across 50 suburbs are the perfect opportunity to bring even more social housing into the mix,” he said.
“As more detail on activity centres is released, we’re calling for that to include a social housing guarantee so that a set proportion are public and community homes.”
“This is a straightforward change that will deliver enormous benefits for the tens of thousands of Victorians who go to sleep each night experiencing homelessness,” said Mr Johnson.
“These areas have been identified because of their great access to transport, schools, maternal and child health facilities … Having those services close to social housing generates the best outcomes for residents.”
