About 25 stakeholders gathered at Haven; Home Safe’s Bendigo office on Friday morning for the initial meeting of the Bendigo Disability Housing Working group.

They included representatives from local disability services providers Amicus, Golden City Support Services and Radius, advocacy groups, parents and carers and government figures.

The working group’s convenor, Federal Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters warned there would be no easy fix to the disability housing shortage.

But she was confident Bendigo had the organisations and people to deliver a plan.

Ms Chesters said the group’s first task would be to map and understand the unmet demand in Bendigo.

“I’m hoping we’ll also be to reach, for a lot of the local families and carers, some progress on an issue they have been so upset about,” she said.

“And demonstrate as community we are ready to partner with them to help fix this problem.

“We hear the call … there needs to be action.”

The meeting heard of Bendigo community service provider Amicus’ plan to develop its former site into affordable and accessible housing for people with a disability.

The non-profit organisation revealed in May that it was looking to redevelop its former site at Cecil Street in North Bendigo into housing.

Amicus chief executive Ann-Marie Davis told the Advertiser the site was perfect for residential accommodation and the service provider would spend time researching different housing development ideas.

A parents association, Quality Living Options is developing its own plan to fund and build supported housing for the children of its members.

Ms Chesters said the group was not working to a dedicated time-frame.

She was heartened by the response to the inaugural meeting.

“If we can work this out in Bendigo and come up with how Bendigo is going to to help local people with a disability, it could be a model for other parts of Victoria,” Ms Chesters said.