General News
13 April, 2022
Yarriambiack rental crisis nearly solved
THE Yarriambiack housing project is coming closer to completion after council has received $2.8M of grant funding.
THE Yarriambiack housing project is coming closer to completion after council has received $2.8M of grant funding.
The money was provided by the second round of state Regional Infrastructure Fund for the Easing Yarriambiack Affordable Housing project, which will construct 14 dwellings in five towns for aged care residents across the shire.
Yarriambiack Shire Council is working with Haven Home Safe on the project and initially applied for state government funding with the intent of constructing 25 dwellings.
Council aims to produce the units as aged care rentals to secure housing for aged care residents, while opening up local rentals for other residents.
The proposed locations will include six units in Warracknabeal and two units each in Hopetoun, Murtoa, Rupanyup and Woomelang.
Yarriambiack Shire Council expects the units to be constructed within approximately 18 months and habitable within two years.
Yarriambiack Shire mayor Kylie Zanker said that the funding is a fantastic outcome for the shire and communities.
“Rental housing is at a critically low level in all the targeted towns and is at a point where provision of some community-based rental accommodation is considered essential infrastructure,” she said.
“This project will meet the twin objectives of retaining ageing residents in our towns and freeing up existing larger dwellings for rental or sale to new residents.”
The project began in 2020 when a survey of stakeholders conducted by the Wimmera Development Association found that availability of housing for sale and rent are both rated as major weaknesses in the shire area.
According to the Yarriambiack Shire, rental properties make up only 19.3 percent of total household dwellings across the five towns receiving the new units, with 49 percent of the rental arrangements being informal through family, friends or personal connections instead of through the market.
As a result, businesses are being affected as potential employees struggle to secure accommodation, with an increasing number of workers commuting to Warracknabeal, Murtoa and Rupanyup, in particular.
Since 2020, COVID has continued to further impact the availability of rentals in the Yarriambiack and surrounding regional towns.
Councillor Zanker said that the Yarriambiack and wider Wimmera-Mallee region will benefit from construction and trade suppliers as the council is committed to utilising local construction and trades where possible.
“Using a community not-for-profit enterprise approach to manage rental housing is a proven model for success in maximising local benefits via a structure in which the housing assets and land are owned by council and operated and managed by the local incorporated committees,” she said.
“Existing Asset Management Committees in Murtoa and Woomelang have successfully operated a portfolio of seven units for many years.
“The relationship between council and its communities has been strengthened by these partnerships in providing housing as infrastructure and a community service.”
Member for Western Victoria Stuart Grimley has recently appealed to the state government for an infrastructure grant or loan process for housing and planning in hopes of easing the housing crisis faced by regional victorians.
Although the suggestion has not yet been fully configured, it could provide financial ease in the form of subsidies or loans for infrastructure for new residential developments, such as curb and channelling, lighting, power, water and sewerage.
Mr Grimley said that the housing crisis in regional Victoria is yet to improve.
“It feels as though regional Victoria gets the short end of the stick when it comes to government funding,” he said.
“A grant program for key infrastructure in new housing developments has been one suggestion by people in Western Victoria. This would help get the projects off the ground.
“The government needs to get out to the regions to discuss with local councils and residents about possible solutions. I came to them with a Regional Housing Summit proposal; however, it has not been agreed to, yet.”
Mr Grimley congratulated the Yarriambiack Shire on their hard work in securing the funding for the housing project and that he will continue to lobby for these kinds of results.
“I understand that this project is not going to fix the housing shortage overnight in Yarriambiack. There still needs to be long-term investment in housing developments and infrastructure to ensure more housing is available well into the future,” he said.
“This build will ease some pressure on people seeking social and affordable housing in council.