THE Western Australian government is set to deliver more than $39 million in grants to deliver new social housing across the state.
The $39,561,549 in funding will be shared across 12 community housing organisations and local governments, resulting in more than 150 much needed new social housing properties.
The grants are part of the McGowan government’s Social Housing Economic Recovery Package (SHERP), drawn from the $750 million Social Housing Investment Fund (SHIF) to boost social housing by 3,300 properties over the coming four years.
“This significant funding of nearly $40 million is about providing critical financial support to the community housing sector to deliver a wide range of housing initiatives and projects that will support our State’s most vulnerable people,” said John Carey, housing minister.
The first $39 million SHERP New Builds Grant Round 1 was announced in early 2022 and is currently enabling the delivering of more than 170 new social housing dwellings.
Round 2 grant projects will assist the sector in delivering new housing dwellings, including houses, units and apartments, as well as transitional housing and crisis accommodation.
“In particular, I’m deeply proud this round of funding continues to deliver a number of projects and new social dwellings across regional WA, including the South-West and to our State’s north in Shark Bay,” added Carey.
Much of the projects in Round 2 will target the state’s south-west, such as Dalyellup, Donnybrook, Busselton and Witchcliffe.
While the Shire of Shark Bay will alone receive a $4 million injection.
The government also previously announced almost $58 million in funding through the refurbishment stream of the SHERP Grants Program, to support 47 community housing providers to undertake more than 800 refurbishment projects.
The grants and larger SHERP initiative are part of the government’s $2.4 billion investment into social housing and homelessness measures.
Both rounds of the SHERP Grants Program will deliver over 320 new social housing dwellings across the state.
“The funding will provide a further boost to WA’s social housing stock and demonstrates the strong partnership between the State Government and the community housing sector,” concluded Carey.
