Slow progress for housing needs

CALLS are being echoed locally for more housing following an alarming report which showed Victorians in desperate need of social housing are waiting far longer than the national average.

The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2022 report, released in January, showed an average wait time of 17 months for 50 per cent of the greatest need households in Victoria.

The national average is six months.

The report also shows an increasing proportion of people accessing homelessness services are employed.  

Another report, released by the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA), revealed the areas suffering the most from housing stress.

The analysis by CHIA and the UNSW City Futures Research Centre based on census data has found 6 per cent of households in Melbourne and 5.7 per cent in regional Victoria, are not appropriately housed.

According to the data, for Bass Coast, the number of households with unmet needs (not being met by the housing market) was 1300, or 7.2 per cent as a proportion of all households.

Rental stress was identified as the top source of the unmet need at 68 per cent.

Projected need by 2041 showed that: 

• No action – 1500 (estimate)

• Annual growth of current social housing required to meet need by 2041 - 9.1%

• Average annual new dwellings <100

For South Gippsland, the unmet housing need was at 600, with the projected need by 2041 estimated at 700 (if no action taken).

For the Latrobe-Gippsland region, the number of households with unmet needs was estimated at 7300.

Big Housing Build
The State Government’s $5.3 billion Big Housing Build, an investment in social housing, had $1.25 billion dedicated to regional Victoria. 

Bass Coast had been allocated a ‘minimum guarantee’ of $25M as part of the initiative.

A grant of $3.6M was also announced last year, as part of the Social Housing Growth Fund.

This was to build up to 18 houses, providing social and affordable housing to respond to the increase in population, regional employment opportunities and community need.

Funding was to be provided to Community Housing Limited, Housing Choices Australia Limited and the Haven Foundation. 

The new homes will be allocated to people who have applied for housing through the Victorian Housing Register. 

Projects were expected to be commencing throughout 2023, as planning and other approvals are obtained.

According to Homes Victoria, six housing projects are underway in Bass Coast, with 36 new homes expected.

This has seen $13.5M invested so far.

While in South Gippsland, three projects are underway.

Local sentiment 

Following a council resolution during December 2021, the shire made available surplus road reserve land for the provision of social housing.

At the time, Community Housing Limited were progressing with two sites – the first at Ivor Street, Henry Street East, and Henry Street West, Wonthaggi North and the second at Wyndham Street and Roydon Street, Cowes. 

Community Housing Limited had submitted their application to Homes Victoria during mid-2022.

If successful, Community Housing Limited will further develop their proposal including consultation with Council and the community before submitting it to the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change for approval.

Jessica Harrison of Housing Matters highlighted the organisation has been eagerly waiting for an announcement that the two housing developments in Cowes and Wonthaggi are going ahead. 

“However, as the situation worsens, no announcement has been made,” she said. 

“When the projects do go ahead, we hope local building workers will find employment there. But if any workers come from outside Bass Coast, they are unlikely to find a place to live. There is fierce competition when any rental accommodation becomes available.”

“There needs to be a huge building program to provide public housing, after many years of chronic lack of investment by successive governments.

“The working poor are struggling while people on Jobseeker or a pension have no chance of paying market rents. 

“Benefit payments have not increased substantially since the Howard years.

“Unless the local and state governments want tent encampments on the edges of towns and businesses collapsing due to lack of accommodation for staff, they had better act much more quickly than they have to date.”