Support key worker affordable housing

Yarra is a vibrant, diverse inner-city municipality, home to 125,000 jobs. 

But the key workers who keep our economy going, our streets safe, and provide our health and community services can’t afford to live here. Many have strong connections to the local community, many do shift work, many now commute long distances or face financial pressure to remain in Yarra. 

Council owns land next to Collingwood Town Hall that isn’t being used to its full potential. 

It’s an ideal location for key worker affordable housing - close to transport, services and jobs.With support from the Victorian and Federal Governments and the right community partners, Council’s land can be leveraged to create an estimated 50 affordable dwellings for key workers. 

This project has the potential to be a game changer. A proof of concept for how government and non government organisations can partner to address one of today’s wicked issues – housing key workers locked out of the private rental market.

If Yarra can demonstrate that a project like this can work – it could become a model for successful key worker affordable housing projects across metropolitan cities. 

Our proposed affordable housing project cannot be delivered without Victorian and Federal Government support. 

Both the Federal and State Governments say they are committed to delivering more affordable housing. And yet our proposal does not fit neatly into any of their programs. It’s not large enough to attract federal funding. The State is focused on social housing delivery. 

But what of the ‘missing middle’ - key workers on average salaries who can’t afford to stay close to their jobs and services because the private rental market is out of reach. Our growing local economy depends upon them.