By Alex White
A major report into Victoria’s housing crisis has warned the state is facing long-term shortages in social housing despite unprecedented government funding and is calling for more action.
The Inquiry into homelessness in Victoria Final Report, released on Thursday has called for social housing to be a mandatory requirement in all new major housing developments in the future to try and tackle the shortfall of homes for Victorians.
It also called for mapping of where housing was most needed across the state for poor and vulnerable residents and make early intervention a priority to stop people from becoming homeless.
It also warned despite unprecedented investment in housing, Victoria was still behind compared to other states.
“I acknowledge the Victorian Government’s landmark Big Housing Build, which was announced in November 2020, towards the end of the Inquiry,” said Chair and Reason MP Fiona Patten.
“The Big Housing Build will see 9,300 new social housing dwellings built, which represents an impressive 10 per cent increase in Victoria’s social housing stock. However, despite the unprecedented size of the program, this will still not ensure that Victoria will meet the national average of social housing as a percentage of total dwellings, at 4.5 per cent.
“In order to increase long-term housing options, in this report we suggest the Government looks at, among other measures, implementing mandatory inclusionary zoning in all new major housing developments across the state.”
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