By Parker McKenzie
The need for social and affordable housing in Knox greatly outweighs the current supply available, according to the council’s Draft Social and Affordable Housing Strategy Action Plan, potentially leaving “a generation of unmet housing needs.”
The draft plan, which will be voted on at tonight’s council meeting, details the current state of social and affordable housing throughout the LGA and the council’s future strategy.
The plan states that “over the last few years to March 2022, around 159 new social housing dwellings have been funded for purchase or development in the Knox LGA.”
The council’s draft strategy and action plan said between now and 2041, “analysis of current trends suggests a need for a further 5,020 affordable housing dwellings,” of which 1,140 should be dedicated to social housing and 150 dedicated places available for crisis/supported accommodation.
According to the plan, as of June 2022, there are 3,902 households on the Victorian Housing Register for Knox and 2,163 applicants assessed as needing priority access.
Knox City Council currently has 1503 social housing dwellings with a further 159 provided by Homes Victoria and in current development, with a total of 1,652 houses available.
“This strategy has a focus on increasing the supply of social housing as the most critical need to support very low and low-income households,” the plan says.
“To meet the projected social housing need in Knox within 20 years, a rate of 57 additional dwellings per year is required, however, this timeframe would effectively leave a generation of unmet housing need.”
2,597 people received specialist homelessness support in 2021-22.
The median rental price in June 2022 in Knox was $488 a week, and the median rental price for a unit was $430.
The council’s Knox Affordable Housing Needs Analysis in September 2022 “accessed the capacity of the private rental market to meet demand from very-low, low and moderate-income households in Knox.”
The analysis found the private rental market provides no affordable options for very-low-income earners, no affordable options for single adults and only a small number of options for couples on a low income and only limited availability for moderate-income single adult households.
“Without intervention, it is estimated that up to 80 per cent of need will not be met by the private market.” the draft plan says.
The strategy itself states it adopts a target of 4.5 per cent for all future housing to be social housing, “in line with the average social housing supply Australia-wide.”
This would result in 670 new social houses by 2041, a massive distance from the 1,140 needed to meet growing demand.
