Building on our portfolio, growing Melbourne’s social and affordable housing stock.
Ending homelessness starts with creating more homes, and here at Launch Housing our owned portfolios keeps growing. We now own and manage 850 properties across the Greater Melbourne Area.
In the last year we hit a significant milestone, opening the doors to Viv’s Place in May 2022. An Australian first project, Viv’s place is now an award-winning supported housing development specifically designed for women and children who have experienced family violence. Now those families are living in 60 new long-term apartments in Dandenong.
The innovative development came to $30 million dollars, of which the Victorian Government contributed 40 per cent. Anchored by donations from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and the Shine On Foundation, as well as generous support from the Gandel Foundation, the Ian Potter Foundation and many passionate and generous individuals and families made this dream a reality.
Roberta Buchanan, Executive Director of Housing Solutions says Viv’s Place shows Launch Housing is a trusted pair of hands.
“We can collaborate with partners to provide homelessness solutions under one roof. We believe there’s much potential for increased funding from the Federal Government, and we’ve proved we can deliver.”
There is much work to do, and with new and exciting housing projects in the pipeline following the success of Viv’s place, progress is happening.
Bellfield Social Housing development further proof we can create change
Throughout the year, in partnership with Banyule Council and Homes Victoria, Launch Housing’s latest social housing development at Bellfield was well under construction, creating 58 homes for people in need of housing. Featuring a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes.
The four-level building has generous indoor and outdoor communal spaces for residents to enjoy. These new homes set a new standard for social housing in Melbourne and are an exemplary demonstration of how Launch Housing can work with Local and State Government to increase the supply of social housing in local communities.
Bellfield is designed with a rainwater harvesting system, ensuring responsible water use and reduced environmental impact. Solar panels will generate clean energy and subsidise the cost of living for our residents. The building has a timber structure, which has reduced the development’s carbon footprint.
The $22 million dollar project is a partnership between Launch Housing, City of Banyule and Homes Victoria, and was funded as part of the by the Government’s $5.3 billion Big Housing Build.
We believe Bellfield is an innovative model of partnership that can and should be replicated in states and territories across Australia.
“Local, state and federal governments own a significant amount of land that is often unutilised or underutilised, which doesn’t feel rational when we are in the midst of a housing crisis as a state and as a country,” Samantha Ace, Development Manager of Acquisitions, says.
This tripartite partnership between Launch Housing, Banyule City Council and Homes Victoria will provide safe and secure homes for our new residents – homes that would not be available without an innovative approach from Council, a funding commitment from Homes Victoria, and the ongoing management of the project by Launch Housing for the next 50 years.
Always focused on getting more homes
Demand for all kinds of housing in Victoria is exponentially high – as of June 2023, there were 65,195 people on the wait list for social housing.
“We’re not cookie cutter, so we’re open to looking at every opportunity, bringing in different partners and doing things in different ways for a range of people,” Samantha says,
“We are ambitious, and ambition is good when it enables you to deliver outcomes for people who need housing, and support. And that ambition, underpinned by capability is continuing to deliver outcomes.”
Now with these two big projects behind us, Launch Housing is building on a reputation of being an experienced pair of hands – in partnering with government, philanthropy and others to increase Melbourne’s supply of a range of social and affordable housing.
“I was speaking with one of our long-term philanthropists recently about the impact that they had. I was able to calculate that they’ve been critical in delivering 180 dwellings over the past four years. That’s massive, and I thought that was important for them to understand, the impact.”
Launch Housing’s motivation to create more housing, which we know is the crucial starting point to permanently end homelessness, means we are constantly adaptable. Ending homelessness starts with creating more homes, and now with these ambitious housing projects under our belt, we are confident that we can keep building on our momentum.