MOORABOOL Shire mayor Paul Tatchell’s solution to the region’s homelessness problem makes sense.
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Putting transportable cabins on otherwise vacant Crown land – and introducing a government loan scheme to help the working poor and unemployed buy them – is an economically clever plan.
And, after all, Cr Tatchell knows what he is talking about.
The councillor was part of a group that turned the rundown Ballan Caravan Park into a shining example of a lateral-thinking, affordable housing scheme.
For the past few years, low-income residents have been paying rent on the park’s cabins instead of it being closed down by the state government because it did not comply with its permanent land-use policy. Ballarat City Council is currently considering an affordable housing strategy.
It needs to do so urgently.
In the Central Highlands region, 850 people were on the public housing waiting list in September.
On census night, more than 400 people were homeless.
And the Victorian Council to Homeless Persons policy manager, Sarah Toohey, said the link between housing affordability and homelessness could not be underestimated.
So, to put it slightly simplistically, homes need to be more affordable. And, even though they are smaller and may not be long-term solutions, cabins make excellent sense as a starting point.
Let’s hope the council gets on the front foot and investigates all its housing affordability options – including Cr Tatchell’s scheme – sooner rather than later.
That a family of three, including a young child, is forced to live in a car after falling two weeks behind in paying rent is a situation that Ballarat as a community should never ignore.
Gallery plan long overdue
A long-term plan for the Art Gallery of Ballarat is long overdue.
While an excellent facility, it is under-used and under-rated.
Art lover Mark Guirguis’ thoughts of a pop-up wine bar and later opening hours is also one that is well worth exploring.
Turning the beautiful 125-year-old gallery into an artistic hub could be just the fillip it needs.