Housing Plus has presented Orange City Council with an innovative approach towards regional city residential expansion as the first planned development of a $30M investment towards social infrastructure in Orange, addressing the critical need for additional affordable and social housing.
With the lodging of a Development Application for ‘Fairview’ situated on the Forbes Road, Orange’s waiting list for affordable housing will take a major cut as Housing Plus becomes a key provider of new homes.
Housing Plus Project Director, Justin Cantelo, says, “The Housing Plus program is a new way to deliver affordable housing, by creating integrated neighbourhoods with a mix of affordable, social and private housing. This promotes vibrant and diverse communities through different types of housing and densities to meet the changing needs of the community.”
“This is a substantial investment for Housing Plus. Having worked in this field for over 30 years, Housing Plus has a proven track record in property management, and we manage and maintain our assets just like any other homeowner.”
The proposed development at 78 Forbes Road is architecturally designed and will be of a high quality construction that will complement the character of the local neighbourhood.
Justin says, “In the short-term, this project will create jobs in construction across Orange and, in the long-term, an increase in the number of affordable dwellings in Orange will deliver the stability people need to be able to stay in work or raise a family, whilst also providing economic growth for our city.”
“We reviewed the rental listings on Domain on Tuesday 9 April 2019 and there are currently only two rental properties available in Orange that meet the affordability criteria for a single person on the aged pension.”
With a 30-year history of providing client-centred tenancy and property management services to the Central West and Western regions of NSW, Housing Plus is a not-for-profit progressive social enterprise that re-invests all profits into improving social outcomes for individuals and communities in regional NSW.
A key feature of the properties is the provision of energy efficient measures to reduce the running costs of these homes into the future. Homes are designed according to the Livable Housing Design Guidelines’ silver standard, incorporating key easy living features to make homes more accessible for an ageing population.
All this ties into Orange City Council’s Community Strategic Plan, which states its commitment to working with ‘non-profit organisations to reduce the incidence of homelessness by supporting the need for affordable and social housing’.
Justin says, “As well as providing families with secure, affordable housing, Housing Plus will link tenants and household members with local services to help them work towards greater independence, such as engaging in training and employment opportunities, or increasing wellbeing for over 55s.”
“There is a particular focus on supporting vulnerable older women who may have found it difficult to secure housing in the past. Everyone at Housing Plus is excited about the opportunity to pave the way in the future of affordable housing.”
Community members are invited to view the plans and any enquiries can be directed to developments@housingplus.com.au or by telephoning Justin on 1800 603 300.