There are currently 3,300 households living in social housing in Greater Geelong. However, around 10,000 households are actually in need of social housing and this is expected to grow to nearly 17,000 households by 2041.

By making surplus land available for social housing development, the City of Greater Geelong can help increase the amount of social housing available to the community and help people and families on low incomes to access affordable and secure housing.

We also know that when people and families have secure housing they are much better able to focus on their employment, education and health as well keeping their connection to friends, family and support networks.

Social housing is housing which is owned by government and community-based organisations, and where rents are set at an affordable level. Social housing provides secure housing for people and families with low incomes and rents are set at around 25%-30% of the household’s income.

The City intends that social housing on these three proposed parcels of surplus land would be developed and managed by a community-based organisation called a Registered Housing Association (that are registered under the Housing Act 1983). These organisations not only manage and maintain the homes in the long-term but can also provide services and support to the people and families living in the homes if it is required.

Should Council proceed with the proposal to use Council-owned land for social housing, the City proposes to transfer Council-owned land to a Trust called the Geelong Affordable Housing Trust and intends to appoint a Registered Housing Association as Trustee following a competitive tender process.

This Registered Housing Association would be required by Council to develop and manage the properties.

A Registered Housing Association is a community-based organisation which can develop and manage social housing. These organisations are registered under the Victorian Housing Act 1983.

As Trustee for the Geelong Affordable Housing Trust, the appointed Registered Housing Association would be required:

• to manage and develop the social housing on the proposed land;
• leverage other sources of funding for the development.

Social housing is for people and families with low incomes. Therefore, the people that will live here could be families, individuals, and older community members.

Sometimes people with additional needs, like people living with a disability, may also live in social housing where they can access additional supports.

In 2020 the City of Greater Geelong released its Social Housing Plan 2020-2041. This plan outlines Council's role:

• Take a Leadership role in advocating for an increase in social housing to both the State and Commonwealth Governments.
• Invest in social housing by contributing suitable surplus land and a modest annual budget.
• Develop Partnerships with both the State and Commonwealth Government that will lead to significant growth in social housing over the next 20 years.
• Make changes to the Planning Scheme to enable Council to negotiate with private developers to ensure contributions to social housing.
• Participate in ongoing renewal plans for key areas of Greater Geelong where there is significant disadvantage.
• Build capacity in the local infrastructure necessary to achieve the social housing growth and regeneration objectives by building key operational infrastructure organisations.

The Affordable Social Housing Advisory Committee was established in 2020 to provide expert advice to Council on matters relating to social housing. Members of the committee are community members who have expertise and experience in social housing, homelessness, housing development and construction, philanthropy, research, as well representation from the Victorian State Government.

The committee meets four times a year and is chaired by both Councillor Sarah Mansfield and Councillor Anthony Aitken. The committee was established to run for 2 years.

• These three sites are currently unused by the City of Greater Geelong.
• They are suitable for residential development and ideal for social housing given their location.

The estimated total value of these three proposed sites is $3.6 million (based on 2020 valuations). Should Council proceed with transferring the land for the purposes of social housing, then Council will transfer at no or low cost.

We do not have designs for what could be built on these proposed sites. Design development will only occur once a Registered Housing Association is in possession of these sites (which would be subject to a future Council Decision).

Because the funding from social housing is likely to be comes from Homes Victoria (State Government), it will be subjected to their requirements.

Homes Victoria requires there is consultation with local residents on the design in the planning approval stages. Homes Victoria also has design principles which all developments must meet. These include:

• Contextual Development
• Liveable Homes
• Adaptability
• Diversity

For examples of what the new social housing in Victoria looks like, see photos in the image gallery on the Have Your Say page.

Social housing is for people and families with low incomes. Therefore, the people that will live here could be families, individuals and older community members.

Sometimes people with additional needs, like people living with a disability, may also live in social housing where they can access additional supports.

If the proposal to transfer these three sites proceeds, there will be an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed developments through the planning permit process.

The Registered Housing Association that is appointed Trustee and will develop and manage the sites, will be required to use the existing planning permit process and therefore will need to engage with local residents on the design of and plans for the development.

Following community engagement, we will consolidate the feedback and make it available on the Have Your Say Page.

The feedback will be used to inform Council's decision on whether to transfer these three parcels of surplus land for the purposes of social housing.

Absolutely! We will be running online information sessions (see the Have Your Say page for further information) or you can call us on 5272 5272 to give your feedback and we will put it on the online system for you. Alternatively, we can mail you out a hard copy survey.

Community engagement was sought for the Social Housing Plan 2020-2041 and the feedback provided helped shape the plan and key actions. This includes feedback on the use of City-owned land for the purposes of social housing. The summary of the engagement findings are available in the Social Housing Plan 2020-2041, page 37 to 41.