Affordable housing reviewed

A review of a Cardinia Shire's Social and Affordable Housing Strategy identified positive outcomes with significant progress in increasing affordable housing opportunities across the shire.

Council adopted its first Social and Affordable Housing Strategy in 2019 to better understand local housing needs, increase social and affordable housing opportunities, support greater housing diversity and build community awareness of housing challenges.

Social and affordable housing helps people on low incomes or experiencing disadvantage, access safe and secure housing when they may otherwise be unable to afford or find a suitable home through the private market.

The strategy was recently reviewed to assess its success, with strong outcomes attributed to ongoing advocacy, improved partnerships and enhanced strategic planning.

The review found council completed 21 of the 23 actions identified in the strategy and delivered strong results across its three strategic focus areas, including:
Increasing the number of social and affordable homes across the shire;
Increasing the diversity of social and affordable housing opportunities; and,
Improving community perceptions and attitudes towards social housing development.
Mayor Brett Owen said the strategy had made a meaningful difference for residents by improving access to safe, secure and affordable housing.
"Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home. When people have access to affordable housing, they are better able to build strong futures, maintain their wellbeing and stay connected to their community.
"Housing is the foundation of healthy, inclusive and thriving communities, and we're proud of the difference this strategy has made for residents who may otherwise have struggled to access appropriate housing," Cr Owen said.
One of the strategy's key targets was to secure five social and affordable housing commitments by 2025.
Over the past seven years, council has advocated and worked closely with community housing providers, developers and government agencies to deliver more housing options and better outcomes for residents experiencing housing stress and disadvantage.
Affordable housing considerations also were embedded into major growth-area planning projects, including Officer South and Pakenham East to support the creation of more diverse and affordable housing across the shire's growing communities.
As a result, council significantly exceeded its social and affordable housing commitment target, with about 150 new homes committed or delivered across the shire.
"We're incredibly proud to have exceeded our target, but more importantly, we're proud of what that means for our community," Cr Owen said.
"At its heart, this strategy was about improving housing opportunities for people in our community who need them most. The outcomes achieved have helped support women and children escaping family violence, people with disability, people experiencing mental health challenges and other vulnerable residents to access safe and secure housing."
"While there is more work to do, the achievements of this strategy represent an important step towards a more inclusive and connected community," Cr Owen said.
Over the next year, council will develop a new Social and Affordable Housing Policy to build on the progress achieved and ensure council's approach remains responsive to changing housing needs, local priorities and state housing reforms.