THREE affordable housing developments have been built in Port Phillip in the past three months, adding 150 new apartments to the community housing register.
Port Melbourne’s Kyme Place, a three-level apartment block housing 27 residents in studio and one-bedroom accommodation, will be opened this week by housing minister Wendy Lovell and Port Phillip mayor Rachel Powning.
Not-for-profit Port Phillip Housing Association manages the community housing for singles, couples and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Community housing is not managed by the government but offers accommodation to people on low incomes who are often on the public housing waiting list.
Tenant John Dawes, 74, moved into the $9million Liardet Street development from public housing on Williamstown Road. The retiree spent 18 months on the PPHA waiting list before moving into his new studio apartment in June.
“There is no comparison,” he said. “It’s a really nice building that is close to shops and public transport and has many community facilities nearby. The public housing I came from is more than 60 years old and in need of major repairs.”
PPHA has 822 properties in its portfolio housing more than 1100 residents. In the past three months it has opened two other apartment blocks on Chapel Street and Vale Street in St Kilda, bringing the number of local residents housed in Port Phillip to almost 800.
PPHA operations manager Tanya Armstrong said there were 1716 people on the organisation’s housing register, more than 50 per cent of whom have a preference for housing in Port Phillip. Government public housing waiting list figures show a fall in applications in the three months to June from 37,887 to 36,940.
Kyme Place is a joint venture between the state government and Port Phillip council.