More affordable housing needed in Yarra Ranges, according to Anglicare report

A report has called for funding for new social housing and low-cost rentals across Australia but one expert has warned it might be too little, too late for many in the Yarra Ranges. Here’s why.

Yarra Ranges councillor Tim Heenan is an advocate for homeless people.

Affordable housing in the Yarra Valley has “probably been exhausted”, a homeless support worker has warned.

The bleak assessment follows the release of an Anglicare report that calls on the Federal Government to invest in 300,000 new social homes and 200,000 low-cost rentals to meet demand across Australia.

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Homelessness support service Anchor chief executive Heidi Tucker said rental prices were now out of reach for people relying on Centrelink.

“Those pockets of places that were cheaper, like Millgrove, have just crept up and up,” she said.

The Yarra Ranges has about 0.9 per cent of properties set aside for public housing.

Ms Tucker said the figure was too low, particularly when compared with similar suburbs in the north where it was about 1.9 per cent.

“There’s not been a plethora of housing developments in this area. The State Government needs to work with (the Yarra Ranges) Council to unlock land,” she said.

Yarra Ranges councillor Tim Heenan said state and federal politicians needed to return to thinking locally.

“We need local solutions. Unless we have federal and state politicians working together to supply money for public housing we won’t survive as a community,” he said.

Cr Heenan said there were “no rentals to speak of”.

“A few years ago only 0.05 per cent of people on welfare could afford (Yarra Valley) housing. “The situation is bleak.”