At least $25 million will be spent on new public and community housing in Warrnambool after it was identified as a priority area by the state government.
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The state budget is set to deliver $5.3 billion to build more than 12,000 new homes in Victoria to supercharge the economic recovery from the pandemic while supporting 10,000 jobs a year over the next four years.
The package will boost the state's social housing supply by 10 per cent.
Warrnambool has been identified as one of 21 priority areas across Victoria, with expressions of interest now being sought from the housing and building sectors.
The program aims to deliver secure, modern, and affordable homes throughout Victoria - with 25 per cent of funding to be allocated to regional Victoria - including a minimum of $25 million for Warrnambool.
No details were available on just how that money will be spent and how many new houses or units there would actually be.
The news comes as the state government was criticised last year for the city missing out on public housing funding to help ease a growing crisis.
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The investment will deliver 9300 new social housing homes across the state - including replacing 1100 old public housing units.
This investment will help Aboriginal Victorians, pensioners, Victorians with disability, family violence victims and single parent families find their feet.
Of these new homes, 2000 will be for Victorians living with mental illness, reflecting our commitment to mental health and fixing a broken system.
A further 2900 new affordable and low-cost homes will be built to help low-to-moderate income earners live closer to where they work and provide options for private rental.
The new homes will meet 7-star energy efficiency standards, making them more comfortable during summer and winter, and saving tenants on their power bills.
Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney described it as a profound investment which would make the world of difference to people in the community who need the stability and safety to get ahead and thrive.
"Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home - this record funding will deliver exactly that," she said.
Minister for Housing Richard Wynne said the unprecedented housing blitz would deliver new homes and jobs across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
"We're delivering the biggest investment in social housing Victoria has ever seen - we're not just investing in bricks and mortar, but the lives of Victorians for decades to come."
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