Wednesday, 19 June 2024

 Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:28): I rise today to talk about the progress in social housing and homelessness – Dr Ratnam, this may well interest you. At the end of June, Homes Victoria forecasts the total number of social housing dwellings across Victoria will be 89,545. That is a gross increase of 2813 homes – 2813 homes. That is progress. That is not to say that we are there yet, but it is 2813 homes that will be able to provide a more safe, secure and affordable place for people to live across our state. They are homes for people from all walks of life, from women and children victim-survivors of family violence to people who are struggling with mental health and complex needs, young people and older people, and in particular women, who are statistically over-represented in the risk of homelessness or rough sleeping and financial and other disadvantage and are the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness.

We also know from the statistics – and I have said this before in this place – that 30 per cent of people who are entering homelessness services for the first time are coming from the private rental market. That is why when we do the work across the entire housing system to deliver more housing it is not just about social and affordable housing, it is necessarily about the development that partners with every single part of our landscape to deliver. In May and June alone our government expects to complete or acquire over 700 new social housing homes. This is, again, about delivering social and affordable homes where people want to live, and our precincts work is of key importance to making sure that as our population grows we are in a position to be able to provide people with that amenity, that community, that accessibility and that opportunity for people to come into and to contribute to working, living and playing closer to the places that they want to be.

Victorians are moving into new homes every single week, and we are facing this global challenge head-on. We know that every other jurisdiction is experiencing these challenges. We know that internationally housing affordability and availability remains a top-tier challenge. Just last week I co-chaired the third ministerial homelessness reform advisory group meeting alongside Deb Di Natale, and that was really wonderful to welcome new participants, including people from the homelessness lived experience reference group. We are providing $8.2 million funding on top of our $196 million budget allocation to respond to that work on homelessness services.