Housing Minister John Carey today announced nine community housing organisations and local governments will share in nearly $39 million worth of grants to deliver more than 170 new social housing properties in Western Australia.
The grants are being provided through the Department of Communities’ Social Housing Economic Recovery Package (SHERP), a $319 million housing stimulus package that the Government announced in June, 2020.
The SHERP New Build Grants will allow registered community housing providers and local government authorities to build suitable homes to meet the demand for social housing throughout WA.
The estimated total value of all projects being supported through the SHERP New Build Grants program is around $62 million.
The new properties will include houses, units, transitional housing and crisis accommodation to support either Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, young people, people with disability, seniors, women and children leaving family and domestic violence situations or those having difficulty accessing housing.
The Government also recently announced nearly $58 million in funding through the refurbishment stream of the SHERP Grants Program, which will support 47 community housing providers to undertake 805 refurbishment projects of dwellings across WA.
A third grants program is also being delivered through SHERP to support remote Aboriginal communities carry out maintenance on housing.
The grant funding is part of the $2.1 billion worth of investment being made in social housing by the McGowan Government, which includes the delivery of around 3,300 new social homes.
As stated by Housing Minister John Carey:
“One of our Government’s top priorities is to ensure we meet the diverse needs of tenants across WA, particularly those who are finding it difficult to access housing in the tight private rental market.
“The SHERP New Build Grants program is a substantial investment to help meet this priority by enabling the construction of much needed new social housing with a variety of dwelling types and configurations.
“These grants will provide much needed financial support to these organisations, and is a great example of the strong partnership between our Government and the community housing sector.
“The grants will support projects estimated to be worth more than $60 million that will deliver new housing for a wide range of individuals and families including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, young people, people with disability, seniors, and women and children leaving family and domestic violence situations.
“It’s great to see such an innovative range of projects funded through the grants program including $5 million for Bethanie Housing, which is delivering a new 50 apartment development for low-income earners over the age of 55.
“The SHERP Grants Program is a critical part of our $2.1 billion social housing investment program, and is providing critical financial support to the community housing sector to deliver for our State’s most vulnerable people.”
| Organisation | Number of projects | Number of dwellings | Project location/s | Grant funding |
| Agencies for South West Accommodation (Accordwest) | 1 | 3 | Collie | $1,084,021 |
| Bethanie Housing | 1 | 50 | Fremantle | $5,000,000 |
| Community Housing Limited | 2 | 10 | Viveash, Mandurah | $4,645,375 |
| Housing Choices WA | 8 | 49 | Viveash, Falcon, Greenfields | $8,142,723 |
| Indigo Junction | 1 | 20 | Midland | $4,207,946 |
| Shire of Harvey | 1 | 12 | Brunswick | $4,980,400 |
| Shire of Murray | 1 | 12 | Pinjarra | $4,624,634 |
| Stellar Living | 1 | 16 | Rockingham | $3,729,791 |
| UnitingCare West | 1 | 1 | Spearwood | $2,537,265 |
| Total | 17 | 173 | $38,952,155 |
