Affordable housing is "housing, including social housing, that is appropriate for the needs of very low-, low- and moderate-income households" as defined under the Planning and Environment Act 1987.

Appropriate housing means:

· There is an eligibility and allocation process to ensure the housing goes to people who need it

· The rent or purchase price is affordable for that household (generally no more than 30 per cent of household income)

· The dwelling is of suitable form and quality and integrated into the neighborhood both in terms of physical build and local community

· The housing is located close to amenities, employment, and transport

The most common type of affordable housing is social housing, where rent is set as a proportion of household income.

Social Housing is either Public Housing (owned and managed by State Government or Community Housing (owned and/or managed by an agency regulated by the Victorian Housing Register)

The largest growing cohort of people in need is older single women, but there are also young people, single people, families, and older people experiencing housing stress or housing insecurity, with many at risk of homelessness.

Having a lack of permanent, secure, and useful housing is referred to as being homeless or houseless. It is also described as being unsheltered or unhoused.

Homelessness affects people of all ages and stages of their life. Low-income earners and vulnerable community members can be impacted by the shortfall in affordable housing and therefore be considered at risk of homelessness. Family violence makes a substantial contribution to the risk and prevalence of homelessness for women and their children.

To ensure that affordable housing tenants have access to the services that many people need, and to avoid issues of social isolation and transport poverty, affordable housing should be located:

· In townships with well-established services (health, education, shops)

· Close to the town centre to be within walking distance to services (preferably)

· Accessible to public transport

For Bass Coast this means locating affordable housing in Cowes and Wonthaggi, and potentially in Grantville, Inverloch, and San Remo too.

The Federal Government has responsibility for taxation settings and policy which influence housing affordability.

The State Government has primary responsibility for funding affordable housing. It is also the largest social housing landlord with more than 65,000 public housing dwellings.

The recently established Homes Victoria, which sits in the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, manages the social housing system in Victoria.

The community housing sector owns and/or manages affordable housing, primarily social housing. They make up a growing proportion of social housing, accounting for more than 20,000 tenancies.

Housing affordability is not an issue that council can address on its own, and we will continue to advocate and work collaboratively with all levels of government, service providers, developers, and community to address housing affordability for our community

Council has identified it will facilitate the delivery of affordable housing in the municipality through:

1. Advocacy, engagement and partnerships.

We cannot address the shortage of affordable housing on our own. Council will create partnerships with service and housing organisations to advocate for sustainable levels of funding. We will engage with our community and stakeholders to illustrate the importance of affordable housing and to increase the support for affordable housing in Bass Coast Shire.

2. Leveraging the land use planning system to the extent practicable.

Council recognises that the Planning and Environment Act and the State Government land use provisions provide a framework that relies on voluntary negotiations to facilitate affordable housing. We will work within this framework to encourage developers to provide affordable housing, balancing this against the need to also encourage the supply of market housing for our growing population.

3. Where appropriate, making Council-owned land available.

While Council cannot deliver or subsidise the amount of affordable housing that is required to meet demand in Bass Coast, we can make a meaningful contribution through the use of Council-owned land.

We have a Community Guide to local health services and supports on the Bass Coast website. If you require a copy to be printed you can visit on of our Customer Service Centres and request a printed version.

Community Guide

We invite the community to review the Draft Affordable Housing Strategy. All submissions will be reviewed and will assist in informing the development of the Affordable Housing Strategy.

The final Affordable Housing Strategy will go back to a Council meeting for adoption.