Time for Government to act on regional housing

The peak body for community housing is calling on the State Government to implement solutions to the housing crisis in regional Victoria, after a Parliamentary inquiry made a number of recommendations to boost social housing supply.

The Inquiry into the supply of homes in regional Victoria called for several solutions, including a sustained pipeline of funding for social housing, new social housing targets and a 10-year strategy to meet the affordable housing needs of regional communities.

Regional Victoria currently has a low rental availability of 1.8%, and around 36,300 households are struggling to afford rent in the private market.

Community Housing Industry Association Victoria CEO Sarah Toohey said regional communities urgently needed a plan to increase social and affordable housing as their populations and economies grew.

"With many regional areas seeing strong population growth, the supply of social and affordable housing has not kept up with demand," Ms Toohey said.

"Many people in the regions are struggling to rent in the private market and are falling through the cracks, finding themselves homeless, sleeping in their car or on a friend's couch.

"Regional communities urgently need more affordable homes so everyone can have a safe place to live, and so workers on lower incomes can live in the area and find employment there.

"More social housing takes the pressure off the bottom end of the rental market and provides more affordable homes across the community.

"To build more social homes we need a sustained pipeline of funding and a plan to grow affordable housing in regional communities." Ms Toohey also welcomed inquiry recommendations which called for developer contributions to social housing growth in the regions; a streamlined process for regional local governments to seek state government land for more social and affordable housing in their area; 30 per cent social and affordable housing to be delivered on surplus government land; more social housing for Aboriginal Victorians; and increased funding for renter support services to stop people falling back into homelessness.

"The solutions to the regional housing crisis are clearly laid out in this report - now it's time for the Government to act," Ms Toohey said.