Developments tackling Melbourne’s social housing crisis

In National Homelessness Week Kirstan Ross takes a closer look at the different social housing projects designed to change the way Victoria’s most vulnerable live.

A range of architecturally-designed projects are currently underway in Victoria with the state government, City of Melbourne, philanthropists and not-for-profit developers helping house the homeless and the most disadvantaged.

Up and coming social and affordable housing projects in Melbourne include a $20 million redevelopment of a CBD electricity building into studio apartments for rough sleepers, a $30 million new-build community in Werribee for at-risk individuals, and architecturally-designed low-rise apartments set to change the lives of low-income families in Braybrook.

It comes more than six months after the state announced a $5.3 billion spending spree, its largest ever, on social and affordable housing, to create more than 12,000 new homes over the next four years.

Fast-track sites for affordable housing across Melbourne

Social housing accounts for 4.4% of all housing in Australia according to the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and Victoria has for years fallen behind the national average in building new social housing.

The Big Housing Build investment –  designed to be an economic stimulus as well as an answer to homelessness during the pandemic – aims to boost Victoria’s social housing supply by 10% by creating 9,300 social-housing homes and 2,900 affordable-housing homes statewide.

There are six fast-start projects worth $1 billion currently underway in Ascot Vale, Ashburton, Flemington, Hawthorn, Richmond and West Heidelberg. Other social and affordable housing projects are planned for Collingwood, South Yarra, and Ballarat.

 Rundown electricity building to become housing hub

The site on Little Bourke St as it looks now and an artist’s impression of how it will look when the project is finished. Picture: City of Melbourne/ Brittany Holdgate

A unique redevelopment project to create supported housing for rough sleepers, at 602 Little Bourke St, will involve collaboration between the state government and City of Melbourne.

The revamp of the council-owned 1955 concrete high-rise build, a former electricity network building, is the first step in the Make Room initiative, with stays offered via referrals from support agencies with a 24-hour concierge service, and tailored support services such as doctors, mental health professionals, housing specialists and counsellors.

However, the transformation of the $7.45 million building – formerly used as an Open House Melbourne site showcasing relics of the city’s past – relies on further philanthropic funding as part of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund to be announced soon.

Jenny Smith, CEO at Council to Homeless Persons, said the project would “make a real difference to people’s lives”.

“We look forward to working with the council as the housing is developed, to create a model that will provide a sustained pathway out of homelessness for residents into permanent homes,” she said.

Up to 25% of all future residential development on council land is dedicated to affordable housing, according to the City of Melbourne 10-year Affordable Housing Strategy.

The council is also working to deliver 48 affordable housing units next to the Queen Victoria Market in partnership with Melbourne property developer PGD Corporation, plus 40 affordable housing units at Boyd in Southbank.

From sleeping rough to a sustainable pathway out of homelessness

The pandemic created a shift in how homelessness was prioritised across the state.

Suddenly rough sleeping and rooming houses – a room in a large house with shared bathrooms and kitchens – were no longer viable.

A shortfall of at least 5,500 affordable rental homes was identified across the City of Melbourne.

In order to self-isolate, about 2,000 rough sleepers took refuge in hotels.

Most stayed until the Victorian government had secured enough long-term accommodation for everyone who had come off the streets, and they rolled out the $150 million From Homelessness to a Home program.

“To date, 1,104 Victorians, from 920 households, have now relocated to their new homes, with more moving in every day,” a Homes Victoria spokesperson said.

The program is considered one of much interest, not only because it provides long-term living the most vulnerable need, but includes full support packages, unlike the Big Housing Build program.

“They will have support packages, secure housing and a new opportunity to thrive and live their lives with strong links within their community,” a Homes Victoria spokesperson said.

Overthrowing the old rooming house model

Social housing group Unison, which provides housing for homeless people, is also moving people to long-term housing, by selling off rooming houses.

Four inner-city rooming houses in Clifton Hill, Richmond, Williamstown and Footscray, have been sold, with two more properties in Fitzroy and Collingwood to hit the market soon.

Unison CEO James King said the decision was backed up with evidence from their research partnership with RMIT University.

“Our research through our research lab with RMIT is really clear: rooming house residents are our unhappiest, and also in terms of tenancy sustainment, has the highest rate of turnover,” said Mr King.

“We made the decision as an organisation to steer away from rooming houses, they just don’t work.”

Projects in Footscray, Fairfield, Werribee and Braybrook

The project in Werribee is set to cost $30 million. Picture: Unison

Meanwhile, Unison recently delivered an award-winning social housing development in Footscray with 54 self-contained units.

Unison also refurbished a run-down heritage 22-bedroom rooming house in Fairfield, and developed a new apartment built on site with 38-self-contained one-bedroom and studio units for single women at risk of homelessness.

The $30 million Cottrell Street, Werribee, project – a partnership between the state government and Unison – will provide 74 social and affordable homes for at-risk and disadvantaged Victorians on low to moderate income as well as people on the priority waiting list of the Victorian Housing Register, with support services on site.

Mr King said the days of “building ghettos” where people moved in and were left to their own devices, “especially at that, kind of, really vulnerable end of social housing, I think those days are gone.”

An artist’s impression of the low-rise apartments in Braybrook. Picture: LIAN with Kerstin Thompson Architects

Architecturally-designed one, two and three-bedroom low-rise apartments for families in Braybrook will also help solve the housing crisis.

The public housing apartments were designed under the state government Future Homes competition, won by firm LIAN with Kerstin Thompson Architects.

The new model which has been described as a game-changer in social housing, with 12 developments reportedly set to roll out first in Braybrook before being replicated elsewhere in the state.

Meanwhile, pop-up vaccination clinics have been set up across the CBD, inner north and west, for people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.

National Homelessness Week runs August 1-7.