The Affordable Housing Reference Group will provide advice on the implementation of the Greater Shepparton Affordable Housing Strategy: Houses for People 2020 and promote and support the delivery of Affordable Housing in the municipality.
Director Sustainable Development, Geraldine Christou, said “there is a strong need for affordable housing, including social housing, with a range of contributing factors for housing insecurity in some cohorts. This includes older people, younger people, women, single people, single parent families, people with a disability, immigrants, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
”Access to Affordable Housing at a time of crisis is critical in assisting people avoid homelessness and marginal housing,” she said
The Strategy supports a ‘Housing First’ approach which aims to ensure people experiencing housing insecurity are provided with a stable foundation to address other issues. Council will address identified gaps in housing stock, including social housing, crisis and specialised housing responses for vulnerable households, and diversity in the type and size of available housing options.
Ms Christou said it had been inspiring to see the responses from the community during the development of the Strategy.
“It’s important that our community’s voices are heard, to ensure we’re using our resources as efficiently as possible. The state government’s guaranteed minimum investment of $45 million through the Big Housing Build program will make an incredible difference to the lives of many local people, but there is still a lot of work to do to ensure everyone has safe and appropriate housing,” she said.
‘The Affordable Housing Reference Group is a crucial part of the collaborative approach necessary to effectively address our complex housing situation. It’s expected to give Council a strong foundation for working with the state’s partnership-based policy underlying the Big Housing Build program,” she said.
‘The Group will be a key resource to build on the momentum generated by the state funding, particularly to promote housing options that prevent people reaching the stage of needing social housing support,” she said.
Nomination forms and the Group’s Terms of Reference are available online at https://greatershepparton.com.au/bpi/planning/strategic-planning/strategic-strategies-and-reports/affordable-housing-strategy or from Council’s offices at 90 Welsford Street, Shepparton.
Nominations close Friday, 18 December 2020.
For more information contact Council’s Building, Planning and Compliance Department on (03) 5832 9700.
