The Minister for Housing, Yvette Berry has announced a new public housing renewal and growth program which she says will result in $600 million being spent on new public housing in Canberra.
Ms Berry released the Growing and Renewing Public Housing 2019-24 plan as part of the ACT Housing Strategy.
She said the plan outlined how the Government would renew 1,000 homes and add 200 homes to the public housing stock over five years.
“The $100 million investment will enable the Government to add 200 homes to the portfolio and set in motion the sale and renewal of old public housing properties to generate an expected $500 million that will be reinvested into growing and renewing public housing stock,” Ms Berry said.
She said that by 2024, more than $1 billion would have been allocated to public housing with approximately 20 per cent of the public housing portfolio renewed.
“This unprecedented investment in public housing demonstrates the ACT Government’s commitment to supporting low income and disadvantaged Canberrans,” Ms Berry said.
She said that under the plan about 300 older dwellings that no longer met the needs of tenants but were in locations close to shops, schools, transport and services, would be demolished and replaced with approximately 700 new dwellings.
She said a total of 360 new dwellings would be built in new suburbs; a total of 140 homes would be purchased from the private market and 700 older dwellings would be sold.
“To meet the needs of current and future tenants, more adaptable homes will be built for people with a range of abilities and ages, as well as developing more two and four-bedroom homes to better suit the changing family size and needs of tenants,” Ms Berry said.
