Housing Minister John Carey has announced up to 16 long-term vacant Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) properties will be provided to Pilbara-based community support services, and individuals and families on the public housing waitlist.
Of the 16 properties, eight are located in South Hedland and eight are in Newman.
As part of a reform agenda for the delivery of housing, the Minister requested the Department of Communities undertake a review of all long-term vacant GROH properties, to ensure Government housing stock is being fully utilised.
Seven of the Newman properties will house people from the priority public housing waitlist and one property will house staff from the Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service.
Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service provides culturally responsive and appropriate fully comprehensive primary health care services in communities.
Having Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service as the lessee of one of the dwellings will enable the house to be fully utilised, with flexibility for it to be a future transfer to public housing or returned to GROH stock as required.
Eight properties in South Hedland are undergoing final review and if they are designated as being surplus to current Government needs, will be transferred to provide housing to families on the public housing waitlist or leased to critical non-government service providers.
As stated by Housing Minister John Carey:
“We have significant demand for housing across our regional areas, which is why I asked the Department to undertake this review and ensure we are making the best use of our available housing stock.
“It’s fantastic to see that out of that review, up to 16 properties in Newman and South Hedland will be put to good use and help boost housing availability in those towns.
“These properties will provide homes to people on the public housing waitlist in the Pilbara, and assist in delivering the important work of local support services.
“We are investing $2.1 billion towards social housing in the coming four years, and an additional $200 million on GROH Housing, but ensuring we fully maximise the use of our current stock is critical in the current environment.”
As stated by Pilbara MLA Kevin Michel:
“The McGowan Government is acutely aware of the challenges we face in terms of housing in the Pilbara and regional WA, which is why we are investing more than $2 billion to boost the availability of homes for people on the public housing waitlist and critical government workers in the regions.
“I have spoken at length with the Housing Minister and I know he is implementing a range of measures to support housing in the Pilbara, including the construction of modular social homes with properties already allocated to Tom Price and South Hedland.
“It’s fantastic that out of this review we are going to see a boost in the availability of housing for vulnerable people and critical support service workers in the Pilbara.”
