MEMBER for Murray Plains Peter Walsh says more towns, including Kerang, need funding for social housing as “desperate people” come through his doors in “dire need” of public housing.
Mr Walsh last week told State Parliament only one town in the electorate — Swan Hill, which would receive $15 million — had been included in the State Government’s $5 billion Big Housing Build.
“I simply cannot believe that $15 million for one town is all that is being invested across such a large part of northern Victoria,” Mr Walsh said.
Homes Victoria said it would spend 25 per cent of that money in regional Victoria to construct more social and emergency housing.
According to the government, building social and affordable housing in regional Victoria responded to the increasing population in Victoria’s growth areas and created more rental housing to support employment growth in regional towns and cities.
“The Big Housing Build provides a minimum investment commitment to regional local government areas that have a significant regional town or city or have high population growth,” a spokesperson said.
“Eighteen local government areas have been identified for the minimum investment guarantee, with $765 million committed across these local government areas.
“We’ll work to identify projects in regional Victoria for the allocation of the $485 million not yet committed to local government areas through the guarantee.”
Mr Walsh said his electorate office had desperate people coming through the door in dire need of social and emergency housing.
“The local support system for social service agencies has been overwhelmed and cannot keep up with the demand,” he said.
“For women and children fleeing an abusive relationship there needs to be somewhere for them to go other than a motel room or a caravan park or being shipped off to some distant location.”
Mr Walsh said the private rental market marginalised people on low incomes.
“Local support agencies can deliver for those in need if they have some of this emergency housing funding provided into the region,” he said.
