Located in Mooroopna, the development has been created as part of a $10 million housing fund, the project in partnership with Mind Australia and its subsidiary Haven Foundation.
In total, 36 portable homes have been built as part of this development with the help of local business Neatline.
The completion of the first stage in 2021 consisted of 16 homes that are run as supported living housing for people living with mental health challenges who receive 24/7 support from Mind Australia.
The second stage, which just opened, is managed by the Haven Foundation and is social housing that contains 20 independent living homes for people affected by floods, domestic violence or people who have transitioned from supported living to independent.
On Thursday, January 18, Victorian Housing Minister Harriet Shing visited the site to tour the new facilities, saying it was great to see the project brought to fruition.
“Well done to everybody involved in this project, knowing that it’s making a difference because of what’s already been completed,” she said.
“We know that partnerships with organisations like the Haven Foundation dedicated to providing specialist care for mental health needs across the community housing sector really demonstrate what can be done where there’s good collaboration between government, our sector and also the communities in which the housing is being built.”
Manager of housing and tenancies at Haven Foundation, Janine Duncan, said the funding was terrific, but there was still a need in the community for more.
“It has been an incredible opportunity to offer affordable housing to people that need it,” Ms Duncan said.
“The first residents moved in before Christmas, and we currently have three occupied, and all but one have been allocated — we’re almost at capacity.
“We’ve had a number of flood victims from the 2022 floods come to us and young families.
“However, we need more government funding to adequately house the people that need it across the board for social housing or affordable housing.”
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