A $6 million housing development for low-income earners should open in Bendigo by December 2014.
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Haven; Home, Safe hopes to start building the 26-unit project by the first quarter of the new financial year.
Chief executive Ken Marchingo said the Sidney Myer Place complex would include 24-hour support and education for tenants funded through their rent.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic,” he said at yesterday’s $4 million state government funding announcement.
“This is the hamburger with the lot of homelessness and housing services.
“Usually people will pay about 70 per cent of the market rate on rent, and no one will pay more than 30 per cent of their income on rent. We are very clearly focusing this new project on people who have the capacity and want to make a positive change in their lives.
“People will be equipped with the necessary skills to survive and hopefully thrive in the private or public market. We are unashamedly going to go and pick some winners.”
Mr Marchingo said four sites were being considered for the development and that he expected to have one confirmed shortly.
“It’s for people aged up to their mid-30s and younger, but we wouldn’t rule any family in or out based on their age,” he said. “It’s aimed at people in the first third of their working life and my preference would be medium-density individual units.”
The Yulgilbar Foundation, Sidney Myer Fund and Bendigo for Homeless Youth will contribute $2 million to the project.
Minister for Housing Wendy Lovell said there was a growing need for such accommodation.
“The need is great for anyone who is in this situation where they can’t afford private rentals,”
she said. “We know that if we can provide people with stable accommodation we actually connect them better to the community, we can get them re-engaged with education training and into employment, and we can assist them to build a better life for themselves.
“For those people who are suffering homelessness here in Bendigo it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to move into a new facility that will give them support while they re-establish themselves.”
Bendigo for Homeless Youth founder Luke Owens said having a home was necessary for people to fulfil their dreams and ambitions.
“The impact of this announcement on Bendigo is huge both for a great agency like Haven and local businesses, but more importantly for the people that are genuinely in need,” he said.
