By Luke Voogt
Council has announced a 12-person committee to guide its mission to build 13,500 new social housing dwellings by 2041.
The inaugural members of the Affordable Social Housing Advisory Committee will serve a two-year term, council announced last Friday.
The committee advise on council’s Social Housing Plan 2020-2041, which councillors endorsed in February 2020.
About 40 people applied for the committee, which will advise council on issues such as the supply of properties.
Mayor Stephanie Asher described the committee as an important step in council’s goal to significantly increase social housing to meet growing demand.
“Social housing is vital for our community,” Cr Asher said.
“Everyone has the right to a safe, affordable home and the benefits that brings in helping people engage with employment, education and community services.
“Without major investment and advocacy, the most vulnerable in our community will continue to be impacted.”
Social housing portfolio chair Sarah Mansfield thanked applicants and said the new committee members had “a wealth of knowledge and a strong passion for reducing inequity in our community”.
The committee includes representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services and members from fields including community services, urban design and property development.
Committee member Bill Mithen, chief executive officer of Give Where You Live Foundation, looked forward to meeting the committee and “getting stuck into it” for the first time next Friday.
“The council wanted to ensure that there was a group of citizens who could look at the plans through another lens,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic step forward for social housing in our region and a great plan for a local government to put together.
“It’s a key area for the Give Where You Live Foundation – housing – and it’s a basic human right.
“That seems to me a great inequality and inequity that we should address.”
The other members are Kerrie Crtalic, Robert Davis, Grant Divall, Louise Johnson, Helen Maher, Trudi Ray, Susan Taylor, Natalie Walker, John White, Steve Dunn and Tony Jenkins.
A state government grant funded the development of the Social Housing Plan 2020-2041
