The Social Housing Growth Fund was established in 2018 to grow new social housing in Victoria.
The fund was developed as a collaboration between government, private and philanthropic sectors and provides an ongoing mechanism for eligible Community Housing Agencies (CHAs) to deliver more social housing for Victorians in need of housing support. This includes adults and children escaping family violence, older women, Aboriginal Victorians, people with disabilities, and those experiencing mental illness.
The fund is jointly administered by the Minister for Housing and the Treasurer.
In the 2020-21 State Budget, the Victorian Government invested $5.3 billion in social and affordable housing as part of the Big Housing Build (BHB). This, then, record-breaking investment included $1.38 billion for the Social Housing Growth Fund to provide grants to the community housing sector to grow the supply of social housing across Victoria.
Across multiple rounds, the fund aims to deliver investment in new social housing homes to provide long-term housing for Victorians on the Victorian Housing Register.
Current Homes Victoria programs:
- Build and Operate Program Round 1
- New Rental Development Program
- Regional Round
- Rapid Grants Round
- Homes for Aboriginal Victorians Round
- Mental Health Supported Housing Round
- Build and Operate Program Round 2.
Regional Round
The Regional Round provides funding for the delivery of new social projects in regional Victoria to be managed by Community Housing Agencies.
Announced in late 2022, the Regional Round includes 46 projects, delivering up to 683 new homes with a government contribution of $219 million and creating close to 2,600 regional jobs. The projects and the number of homes to be built are subject to planning approvals.
| LGA | Commissioned number of homes* | Number of jobs created | Government funding ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ararat | 9 | 34 | $3.0 million |
| Ballarat | 44 | 169 | $11.2 million |
| Bass Coast | 18 | 43 | $3.6 million |
| Baw Baw | 56 | 241 | $24.1 million |
| Corangamite | 6 | 21 | $1.7 million |
| Golden Plains | 10 | 33 | $3.0 million |
| Greater Bendigo | 130 | 516 | $40.4 million |
| Greater Geelong | 84 | 329 | $24.6 million |
| Greater Shepparton | 70 | 265 | $23.9 million |
| Hepburn | 4 | 11 | $900,000 |
| Horsham | 14 | 52 | $4.9 million |
| Latrobe | 23 | 82 | $7.8 million |
| Macedon Ranges | 12 | 54 | $5.0 million |
| Mildura | 68 | 234 | $21.3 million |
| Mitchell | 10 | 33 | $3.0 million |
| Moorabool | 33 | 138 | $12.1 million |
| Swan Hill | 13 | 46 | $3.9 million |
| Wangaratta | 66 | 243 | $20.6 million |
| Wodonga | 13 | 46 | $3.8 million |
| Total | 683 | 2,590 | $219 million |
*Up to 683 homes have been commissioned. Number of homes are subject to planning approvals.
Rapid Grants Round
The Rapid Grants Round is the first round of grant funding under the Social Housing Growth Fund, Big Housing Build funding and provides grants to Community Housing Agencies for ‘shovel-ready’ development and construction projects for new social housing.
The Rapid Grants round includes more than 80 projects, delivering over 2,400 homes, with a total value of over $1 billion and creating close to 10,000 jobs for Victorians.
| Region | Number of homes | Number of jobs created | Government Funding ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro | 1,891 | 8,238 | $677 million |
| Regional | 581 | 1,757 | $142 million |
| Total | 2,472 | 9,995 | $819 million |
Pre-Big Housing Build initial funding package
Build and Operate Program Round 1
The Build and Operate Program (BOP) focuses on constructing new social and affordable homes.
BOP Round 1 will deliver more than 780 new social housing homes across 24 locations in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
New Rental Development Program
The New Rental Developments Program provides funding to lease new homes from the private sector or acquire newly constructed or homes under construction to use as social housing.
The program will deliver 457 rental homes which will be managed by experienced housing agencies, increase the availability of social housing rental stock and facilitate investment in new social housing for the rental market.
Current programs
Homes for Aboriginal Victorians
Grants to Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations for new social housing located across Victoria.
Mental Health Supported Housing Round 2
Grants to community housing agencies to deliver and operate new long-term social housing across Victoria.
The new homes will be used as supported housing in accordance with the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. The housing and support model has been informed by the outcomes of a co-design project which involved people with a lived experience of mental illness.
Build and Operate Program — Round 2
Homes Victoria has launched the second round of the Social Housing Growth Fund — Build and Operate Program. This will provide funding for community housing organisations to build and operate new social housing developments.