The Department of Communities has announced that its recovery package for social housing involves the refurbishment of 1,500 public and community houses; a rolling maintenance program targeting 3,800 regional dwellings; and the delivery of about 250 new homes.
According to the Department, $141.7 million will breathe new life into 1,500 of the State’s ageing housing stock by stripping them back to the frames and rebuilding.
The plan, scheduled for immediate rollout, is expected to support about 380 jobs over two years.
The Department expects a second stream of work to start in 2020-21 when social housing tenants affected by the refurbishments are relocated to other State-owned properties.
In a statement, the Department said the scheme would target about 3,800 dwellings, including social housing, remote Aboriginal communities’ stock and subsidised housing for regional Government workers.
“Scheduled for an immediate start, it will maximise opportunities for regional workers by prioritising local businesses quoting for work,” the Department said.
“The proposed works will reduce the existing backlog and involve minor maintenance and preventative activities that can be completed within six months.”
It said the third element of the package would involve $97 million to build or buy about 250 dwellings comprising new social housing builds across both metropolitan Perth and regional areas and some off-the-plan purchases ready for immediate construction.
Minister for Housing, Peter Tinley said the various elements of this package were designed to provide a pipeline of work for the building sector to support it through this difficult period.
“It will also result in more liveable, modern homes for tenants and improve the overall lifespan of our social housing stock — a publicly-owned asset with an estimated worth of about $14 billion,” Mr Tinley said.
