CITY OF WHITTLESEA Affordable homes for all | 1

38 per cent of our residents experience rental stress, 24 per cent experience mortgage stress and at least 630 are homeless.

OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS

AFFORDABLE HOMES FOR ALLVictoria is experiencing a housing crisis. While the State Government has recently taken positive steps in addressing affordable housing much more needs to be done. This housing crisis means vulnerable people in our municipality do not have a safe and stable home.

State-wideplanningmeasuresshouldbeadoptedthatmandateandprovideincentivesfor affordablehousing.

Takeactiontobreakthecycleofhomelessnessbyprovidingahousingandhomelessnessaccess pointandoutreachserviceintheCityofWhittlesea–approximately$600,000p/a.

Provideyouthcrisisaccommodationandyouthhousingservicesinthemunicipality.Forexample, fundtheHopeStreetFirstResponseYouthServiceinSouthMorang($4.8Mcapital)andprovide ongoingoperationalfundingfromtheSpecialistHomelessnessServicesFund($2.3Mp/a).

InvestinalltypesofaffordablehousingintheCityofWhittleseafromcrisisaccommodationto affordablehomeownership,andcommittousingsurplusState-ownedlandforaffordablehousing inourmunicipality,forexample:

• 323McDonaldsRoad,Eppingand • 995PlentyRoad,SouthMorang.

RequireallnewaffordablehousingtocomplywiththeLivableHousingDesignGuidelines. Affordablehousingshouldbequalitybuiltdwellings,appropriateforpeopleofalllife-stagesand abilities.

COMMITMENT 1

COMMITMENT 2

COMMITMENT 3

COMMITMENT 4

COMMITMENT 5

SEEKING FIVE COMMITMENTS

2 | CITY OF WHITTLESEA Affordable homes for all

• TheCityofWhittlesearecognisesthateverypersonhasa righttoaffordable,safeandstablehousingtosupporttheir livelihoodandsenseofbelonging.1

• TheVictorianGovernmentisdenyingpeople’srighttohave aroofovertheirheadbyneglectingtoprovideenough subsidisedhousingforpeoplewhocannotaffordahome ontheprivatemarket.

• Affordablehousingisessentialcommunityinfrastructure necessarytoachievepositivesocialandeconomicoutcomes. Unmethousingneedisasignificantdriverofdisadvantage: withoutstable,affordablehousingpeoplelackafoundationto improvetheirlifecircumstances.

• Werecognisethedefinitionofaffordablehousinginthe Planning and Environment Act 2-meaninghousing,including socialhousing,thatisappropriatefortheneedsofverylow to moderate income households and that is allocated to these households.

• Somehousinginourmunicipalitymayappear‘affordable’ however,financialvulnerabilityisasignificantissuefor residents.Highcostoflivingpressuresduetothelackof publictransportandlocaljobsandthelackofpublictransport andotherfactorsimpacttheaffordabilityoflivinginthe outer-suburbs.Manyresidentsacrossthemunicipalityreport nothavingenoughmoneytobuyfood.3

• Localcouncilshaveanimportantroleinencouragingand facilitatinghighqualityaffordablehousingdevelopments targetedathouseholdsonvery-lowtomoderateincomes. Werecentlyamendedourlocalplanningschemeto incorporatespecificsocialandaffordablehousingmeasures.4 However,regulatoryactionnecessarytomeetthedemand foraffordablehousingisinthehandsofStateandFederal Governments.

• Wewantacitywhereeveryonehasaplacetocallhome. Butatthemomentthereareatleast630peopleinthe CityofWhittleseawhoarehomeless,somelivingonthe street,outoftheircarwiththeirchildrenorinover-crowded houses.5Theflow-onimpactsofapersonbecominghomeless areexperiencedbyfamilies,supportagencies,governments, andthecommunityaswhole.6Addressingtheissuerequires multiplestrategiesandpartnerships.AllpeopleinWhittlesea experiencinghomelessnessshouldbeabletoaccess appropriatehousingandsupportserviceswhenneeded.

• InitiativesinHomes for Victoriansarepositivestepsintherightdirection

Thisincludestheframeworktoassistlocalcouncils,developersandlandownerstoenterintovoluntaryarrangementsforaffordablehousinginmajordevelopments.Whilethechangesarelikelytogeneratepositiveaffordablehousingoutcomes,itwillnotdeliverthenumberofdwellingsneededtomeetdemand.

State-widemandatorymeasuresarenecessaryto

encouragethescaleofaffordablehousingthatisrequired.Suchmeasurescreateanequalplayingfieldacrossallmunicipalities,setclearstandardsforalldevelopersandinvestors,andensurethedeliveryofaffordablehousingatscale.

• Astate-wideminimumof15percentaffordablehousingforsignificantdevelopments

PlanningmeasuresinLondonincludea35percentthresholdforaffordablehousingattachedtoafasttrackincentiveregime.21SouthAustralianregulationsrequire15percentsocialandaffordablehousingforcertaindevelopments.Aproposed15percentthresholdismodest,reasonableandistheminimumnecessarytostartencouragingthescaleofaffordablehousingthatmeetsdemandinVictoria.22 A similar model to that in South AustraliashouldbeadaptedtotheVictoriancontextandinclude measures to ensure developments that are closetoservicesandinfrastructure.

• Inadequatesocialhousing TheCityofWhittleseahasfarfewersocialhousing

householdscomparedwithGreaterMelbourne(1.3percentcomparedto2.6percent,respectively).7 There are over4,045applicantswaitingforsocialhousingontheVictorianHousingRegisterinnortheastMelbourne(Inc.Whittlesea,Nillumbik,DarebinandBanyule).61percentofthesepeoplehavepriorityaccessstatus.8

• Highlevelsoffamilyviolence Familyviolenceisasignificantcauseofhomelessness.9

Ourmunicipalityhasthehighestrateoffamilyviolenceinthenortheastmetropolitanregion(1,474incidentsper100,000population,comparedto1,204forVictoria).10 Familyviolenceisareasoncitedby42percentofpeoplewhoaccesshomelessnessservices.11

• Lowincomehouseholds Twenty-twopercentofhouseholdsfallwithinthelowest

incomerange($0to$38,480)and23.6percentfallwithinthemediumincomerange($38,352to$73,632).12

• Highlevelsoffinancialstress Almosthalfofallhouseholdsinthemunicipalityare

experiencingmoderateorheavyhousingrelatedstress(46percent).13Forpeoplerentingtheirhome,5,791households(38.1percent)areinhousingstress.Forpeoplebuyingtheirhome,6,822households(24.5percent)areinhousingstress.14

• Affordablerentalhousingisdecreasing Theavailabilityofnewrentalhousingstockthatis

affordabletolowerincomehouseholdshassignificantlydeclinedintheCityofWhittleseafrom65percentin2006,to9percentin2018.15

• Homelessness:understandingandrespondingtoagrowingneed Accuratedataonhomelessnessisdifficulttoobtainduetothetransientandhiddennatureofhomelessness.However,weknowtherehasbeenatleasta7percentincreaseinhomelessnessintheCityofWhittleseafrom2011to2016,whichishigherthanthenationalaverage(5percent).16 Specialist homelessness services report that theycannotkeepupwiththedemandforhousingandsupportservicesinthemunicipalitywhichisimpactingpeopleofallages.17InVictoria,researchshows:

• around2in5peopleexperiencinghomelessnessare childrenoryoungpeople.

• thenumberofpeopleaged55+experiencing homelessnessisincreasingsignificantly.

• atleast42percentofpeoplewhoarehomelessin Victoriaarewomen.18

Familyviolenceorrelationshipbreakdownisamainreasonforpeopleseekingassistancefromhomelessnessservices.19

ThereisanimmediateneedforspecialisedoutreachhomelessnessservicestosupportpeoplefromacrosstheCityofWhittlesea.Theseservicesneedtobesuitableforthediversityofpeopleexperiencingoratriskofhomelessness,whichcanincludeyoungpeople,olderpeopleandpeopleexperiencingfamilyviolence.20

CITY OF WHITTLESEA Affordable homes for all | 3

SEEKING FIVE COMMITMENTS

Commitmentone: State-wide planning measures should be adopted that mandate and provide incentives for affordable housing.

Commitmentfour:Invest in all types of affordable housing in the City of Whittlesea from crisis accommodation to affordable home ownership, and commit to using surplus State-owned land to provide affordable housing in our municipality.

ThefollowingsitesoffersasignificantopportunityfortheStateGovernmenttodeliveritspolicyinitiativeinHomes for Victorians on ‘Inclusionaryhousingtoincreasethesupplyofsocialandaffordablehousing’.

Locatedwithinadesignatedactivitycentre,Plenty ValleyTownCentre,thissiteiswellserviced,close topublictransport,shops,educationand recreationalfacilities.

Landowner:DirectorofPublicTransport Sitesize:2.023Ha CurrentZone:GeneralResidentialZone CurrentOverlays:DesignandDevelopmentOverlay:Schedule7andDevelopmentContributionsPlan:Schedule3.DDO7encourageshigherdensityresidentialdevelopmentofuptofourstoreys FutureZone:Uponcompletion/implementationofthePlentyValleyTownCentreStructurePlanthesitewillberezonedtotheActivityCentreZone.

TheStructurePlanproposesaneight-storeylimitforthesiteandrequiresatransitioninheightonthewestboundarytoprovideasensitiveinterfacewithexistingdwellings Adjacentland:Thesiteisadjacenttoalarge(1.84Ha)vacantparceloflandat351-391McDonaldsRoad,Eppingwhichhasthepotentialfordensityresidential.

Figure1. Artist impression of developable site at 323 McDonalds Road, Epping

Commitmenttwo: Take action to break the cycle of homelessness by providing a housing and homelessness access point and outreach service in the City of Whittlesea

Commitmentthree:Provide youth crisis accommodation and youth housing services in the municipality. For example, fund the Hope Street First Response Youth Service in South Morang and provide ongoing operational funding from the Specialist Homelessness Services Fund.

CityofWhittleseawelcomesthestepsmadebytheVictorianGovernmenttotacklehomelessnessacrossthestatethroughthe HomelessnessandRoughSleepingActionPlan.However,yearsofgovernmentinaction,fundingcutsandrapidpopulationgrowthmeanmoreneedstobeachievednowtoaddressthisgrowingneed.

Ourcommunityurgentlyneedsaspecialisedhousingandhomelessness service access point to be located in the municipality.Weestimatethatthecostoftheaccesspoint

servicetobe$600,000p/a.Ahomelessaccesspointisthemandatoryfirststep/intakeforpeopletoaccessspecialisthomelessservices.ThenearestaccesspointisoutsidethemunicipalityatHaven;Home,SafeinPreston.

Mobileoutreachandpreventionandearlyinterventionprogramsprovidedacrossthemunicipalityarealsocritical.Thesevitalservicesarerequiredtoprovideanintegratedresponsetoassistpeopleacrossalllife-stagesandwithmultipleorcomplexneeds.

TheCityofWhittleseahasnoyouthspecificemergencyaccommodationdespitehomelessnessbeingapressingissueformanyyoungpeople.InpartnershipwithHopeStreetYouthandFamilyServices,weseekinvestmentof$4.8milliontoconstructtheHopeStreetFirstResponseYouthServiceand$2.3millioninongoingoperationalfunding.

HopeStreetcurrentlyhasaFirstResponseYouthServiceinMelton,fundedbytheStateGovernment.23WeareseekingasimilarservicefortheCityofWhittlesea.TheCityofWhittleseahaslandavailable,viapeppercornrent,uponwhichafacilitywillbeconstructed.Thisisarealopportunityto improve access to homelessness servicesforyoungpeopleinourmunicipality.

323McDonaldsRoad,Epping

CITY OF WHITTLESEA Affordable homes for all | 4

CITY OF WHITTLESEA Affordable homes for all | 5

LocatednexttoMiddleGorgeRailwayStationonthenewMerndaline,thissiteisa4minstrainridetoPlentyValleyActivityCentreandclosetoeducationandrecreationfacilities.

Landowner:VicTrack Sitesize:5.9hectares Developablesitesize:Approx.developmentparcelof0.9hectare CurrentZone:PublicUseZoneSchedule4 CurrentOverlays:NIL FutureZone:NotingtheGeneralResidentialZoningoflandadjacenttothesite,thesubjectlandcouldberezonedtoaGeneralResidentialZone–subjecttoaPlanning Scheme Amendment process Adjacentland:Surroundinglandparcelsusedforresidentialpurposes.Predominatelymediumdensitytownhousedevelopment.

Map2. 995 Plenty Road South Morang, map of site including non-developable land.

Map1: 995 Plenty Road South Morang, developable area only

Vincen

t Driv

e

Middle GorgeTrain Station

995PlentyRoad,SouthMorang

Developable areas zone

Boundary area and full site location

1 CityofWhittleseaSocialandAffordableHousingPolicyandStrategy.2 VictorianGovernment,PlanningandEnvironmentAct1987,https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/legislation-regulations-and-fees/planning-legislation3 CityofWhittlesea2017,AnnualHouseholdSurvey:AHS Housing and financial vulnerability Issues Paper.4 WhittleseaPlanningScheme,clause21.09,Housing, http://planningschemes.delwp.vic.gov.au/schemes/whittlesea/ordinance/21_mss09_wsea.pdf[accessed

Oct2017].5 AustralianBureauofStatistics,CensusofPopulationandHousing:Estimatinghomelessness2016,https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/

DetailsPage/2049.02016?OpenDocument[accessedJune2019]6 Women’sPropertyInitiatives(2013),Issuespaper,AgeingandWomen’sHomelessness:Overcomingthebagladysyndrome.https://wpi.org.au/sites/default/

files/Issues%20Paper%20-%20Ageing%20and%20Homelessness_for%20public_3.pdf7 Profile.id,City of Whittlesea, Housing Tenure,http://profile.id.com.au/whittlesea/tenure[accessedOctober2017].8 VictorianGovernmentDepartmentofHealthandHumanServices,VictorianHousingRegister,June2019,https://www.housing.vic.gov.au/victorian-housing-

register[accessedSep2019]9 AustralianBureauofStatistics,2049.0-CensusofPopulationandHousing:Estimatinghomelessness,2011.Factsheet: Domestic and Family Violence.http://abs.

gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/2049.0Main%20Features452011?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=2049.0&issue=2011&num=&view=[accessedOct2017].

10 CityofGreaterDandenongStatisticalDataforVictorianCommunities,citingCrimeStatisticsAgencyVictoria(2018),Number and Rate per 100,000 population of family incidents by Local Government Area, 1999-2018.https://www.greaterdandenong.com/document/18464/statistical-data-for-victorian-communities

11 VictorianStateGovernment,HomesforVictorian,DemandforServicesinWhittlesea,2015/2016[presentationslidesThursday26October2017]12 Profile.id,City of Whittlesea, Household income quartiles,https://profile.id.com.au/whittlesea/household-income-quartiles[accessedOctober2017].13 CityofWhittlesea,CommunityAttitudesandLiveabilitySurvey2018,Housingrelatedfinancialstress,page11314 Housing.id,CityofWhittlesea,Affordability & Availability,citingABSCensus2016 https://housing.id.com.au/whittlesea/affordability-and-availability15 VictoriaStateGovernment,DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices,Rental Report time series data, Affordable lettings by local government area - Dec 2018,

LGAaffordable,allbedrooms.https://dhhs.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/201906/Affordable%20lettings%20by%20local%20government%20area%20-%20March%20quarter%202019.xlsx[accessedJune2019]

16 CityofWhittlesea,Homelessness Snapshot of Data,201817 CityofWhittlesea,2018,Human Services Needs Analysis: Includes Mernda Town Centre Needs Analysis 18 CouncilofHomelessnessPerson,FactsaboutHomelessness,http://chp.org.au/19 Everybody’sHome,HousingsolutionsforallAustralians,(2018)http://everybodyshome.com.au/20 Parity(2016),RespondingtoHomelessnessinouterMetropolitanAreas,Jarvis,A.Feature:RespondingtoHomelessnessinOuterMetropolitanAreas21 MayorofLondon,Homes of Londoners: Affordable Housing and Viability, Supplementary Planning Guidance 2017.https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/

files/ah_viability_spg_20170816.pdf[accessedOctober2017].22 GovernmentofSouthAustralia,RenewalSA,Affordable Housing, Developer Information Sheet 01: An overview of the Affordable Housing Process.https://

renewalsa.sa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Developer-Information-Sheet-01-An-overview-of-the-affordable-housing-process.pdf[accessedOctober2017].

23 https://www.hopest.org/programs/melton/hope-street-first-response-melton24 LivableHousingAustralia.http://www.livablehousingaustralia.org.au/[accessedOctober2017].

• Buildhomesthatareappropriateforallagesandabilities WestronglycommendtheGovernmentonitsVictorian

SocialHousingGrowthFund,whichcontainsasignificant,$1billioncapitalinvestment.Allnewaffordablehousing,includingthosefundedundertheSocialHousingGrowthFund,shouldberequiredtocomplywithLivableHousingAustralia’sLivable Housing Design Guidelines.TheGuidelinesensurethathomesareeasytoaccessandcosteffectivetoadaptwhenlifecircumstanceschange.24 HousesthatreflecttheGuidelinesaresaferandmoreliveableforfamilieswithyoungchildren,peoplewhohavesustainedatemporaryinjury,peoplewhoareageingandpeoplewithdisabilityandtheirfamilies.

• Addressingsafetyrisksandsocialisolationforolderpeopleandpeoplewithadisability

Thereisalackofsuitablehousingforolderpeopleandpeoplewithadisabilitywhichisforcingpeopletoliveinunsafehomesortomoveawayfromtheirsocialnetworks.Currently,mostofVictoria’saffordablehousingdoesnotmeettheaccessibilityneedsofourdiversecommunities.Itisessentialthataffordablehousingbeappropriateandadaptableforpeopleofallagesandabilities.

Commitmentfive:Require all new affordable housing to comply with the Livable Housing Design Guidelines. Affordable housing should be quality built dwellings, appropriate for people of all life-stages and abilities.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

MichelePurtleSenior Advocacy Advisor

9217 2242 Michele.Purtle@whittlesea.vic.gov.au whittlesea.vic.gov.au

Prepared October 2019