In 2018, the City successfully applied for a Victorian Government grant under the Social Housing Investment Planning (SHIP) program to develop a Social Housing Plan. The plan aligns with the City’s Settlement Strategy and its overarching purpose is to facilitate an increase in the supply of social housing.
Social housing is housing that is appropriate for people on low incomes and includes public housing and housing owned and controlled by a registered housing association.
The draft Social Housing Plan was on public exhibition for comment for five weeks, ending 31 December 2019. 92 people answered a survey and 13 people provided a written response to the draft.
Geelong is a community with a higher than state average of lone and single households. House prices are escalating while private rental, social and public housing options are unable to meet the increasing demand.
Across the City of Greater Geelong 3,300 households currently live in social housing, 3.6 per cent of all households.
The current estimated demand for social housing is 13,500 new dwellings over 21 years including the replacement of 1,500 existing public dwellings that will come to the end of their economic life.
The Social Housing Plan 2020 - 2041 was endorsed by Council on Tuesday 25 February 2020.