Tara Murray
New social housing will be built in Hume and Whittlesea as part of the state government’s Big Housing Build.
Under the $5.3 billion plan, more than 12,000 new homes will be built in metro and regional Victoria, creating 10,000 jobs per year over the next four years.
A government spokesperson confirmed that Whittlesea and Hume have been identified as being among 21 priority local government areas for the housing project.
The priority areas were chosen because they are experiencing above-average population growth and are expected to continue growing.
“The $5.3 billion Big Housing Build is Victoria’s landmark investment in social housing, with more than 12,000 new homes to be built across Victoria over the next four years,” the spokesperson said.
“This package will boost our state’s social housing supply by 10 per cent in just four years – providing a stable foundation for thousands of Victorians to build their lives.”
Hume mayor Joseph Haweil said they welcomed the investment in public housing.
“Council expects that large parts of the public housing stock in Broadmeadows and surrounds will benefit from the state government’s landmark commitment of $5.3 billion to the Public Housing Renewal Program,” he said.
Procurement of land for social housing in Whittlesea is expected to begin immediately.
The program will deliver 9300 new social housing homes across the state, including replacing 1100 old public housing units.
Of these new homes, 2000 will be for Victorians living with mental illness.
A further 2900 new affordable and low-cost homes will be built to help low-to-moderate income earners live closer to where they work and provide options for private rental.
The new homes will meet 7-star energy efficiency standards, making them more comfortable during summer and winter, and saving tenants money on power bills.
The government expects that the investment will generate an estimated $6.7 billion in economic activity and support more than 18,000 jobs at its peak – with 10 per cent of the work on major projects to be done by apprentices, cadets and trainees.
