Loddon Mallee Housing Services aims to put the heart into housing Geelong's homeless and those struggling in the private rental market by working with support agencies across the region.
In addition to building more than 60 properties worth about $20 million over the next 18 months, LMHS has been in talks with Geelong-based agencies to tackle the issues of recurring homelessness and the shortage of affordable housing.
LMHS CEO Ken Marchingo said the organisation welcomed the opportunity to partner with existing support agencies currently providing quality services to those most in need of secure, safe housing.
"No one agency has all the answers to the problems created by a lack of affordable housing in Australia," Mr Marchingo said at the official opening of LMHS' Geelong office today.
"Working together, we can hope to make a change for the better."
LMHS Community Regeneration Manager Jelly Magirazi said linked-in services would improve community cohesion in the medium to long term by promoting social inclusion.
Mr Magirazi has 10 years' experience working in neighbourhood and community renewal projects in the United Kingdom where 20 per cent of all housing is affordable rental housing. In Australia, only four per cent of all housing is affordable housing stock.
"As the private rental market tightens, more people are excluded from their community."
LMHS – Victoria's first registered affordable housing association – is widely acknowledged as the leading provider of housing and homelessness services in rural and regional Victoria.
LMHS currently has about 500 houses under management with another 500 in the pipeline across the Victoria.
For more information please contact:
Sue Masters
Communications and Marketing Director
Ph: 0448 505 517 or 5444 9021