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Media Releases
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News and Media Releases
- 04-05-10 Media release: Christmas can’t come too early for Victorians in need
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Contributor: Diana Wolfe
Source: Diana Wolfe / Michelle Burrell
Posted: 4-5-2010
Christmas can’t come too early for Victorians in need
- Council to Homeless Persons, Community Housing Federation of Victoria call for stamp duty windfall to be used to ease housing pressure for needy
Victoria’s peak housing and homelessness organisations have welcomed the State Government’s continued investment in social housing and homelessness, handed down in its budget today.
The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) and the Community Housing Federation of Victoria (CHFV) acknowledged the Government’s promise to deliver 3,800 additional permanent and transitional homes in the budget, noting that this is largely due to the significant spend on social housing under the Nation Building program, as foreshadowed last year.
“Under the stimulus package, the Victorian government will deliver 4,750 social housing units by 2012, with three quarters of these due by Christmas” said CHFV CEO, Jacqui Watt. “These homes can’t come quickly enough for the more than 23,000 Victorians experiencing homelessness”.
CHP CEO, Michelle Burrell added that despite the Government’s very welcome budget commitments, crisis and transitional housing services continue to operate at full capacity.
“While there are no specific funding announcements in this years budget, the good news is that the substantial spending forecast last year is well underway. This new social housing and homelessness support is coming on line now, and will certainly help to free up the system.
“However, given the latest data showing 35,000 adults and 23,000 children in Victorian homelessness services, the question must be: how will we sustain the investment needed to end homelessness once and for all?”
Both organisations called on the Government to consider quarantining some of its expected $5 billion revenue from property taxes for housing for disadvantaged Victorians.
“The State Government is expecting a windfall of $3.6 billion in stamp duty and $1.3 billion in land tax over the next 12 months,” said Ms Burrell. “With so many benefiting from the property boom perhaps it’s time for some of that money to be channelled back into permanent housing for Victoria’s most needy citizens.”
Ends/ends…
Contact Name: Diana Wolfe
Contact Phone: 0400 148 099
Attached file: Download PDF media release
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