Our Council proudly partnered with the Victorian Government through Homes Victoria and St Kilda Community Housing (SKCH) to help bring Madden House, named after former SKCH Chair Paul Madden, to life.
Attendees at the opening included Parliamentary Secretary for Homes Katie Hall, representing Housing Minister Harriet Shing, Councillors, Member for Albert Park Nina Taylor, Member for the Southern Metropolitan Region Ryan Batchelor and SKCH representatives including CEO Andrew D'Arcy.
We initiated this project in 2019 as part of our longstanding history of supporting safe, affordable homes for people experiencing homelessness.
Madden House is based on the innovative Common Ground model of providing on-site wraparound support services to help people with complex needs to thrive and stay in housing.
Council contributed $4.75 million to the $10.87 million project, as well as a section of land worth $365,000 which is now the driveway.
There is a concierge on site and VincentCare Victoria and the Ngwala Willumbong Co-operative will provide on-site support services and cultural connection.
Residents are expected to start moving into the self-contained permanent accommodation to be managed by SKCH next month.
Our Plan for Port Phillip focuses on measurable actions supporting people experiencing housing stress, homelessness and rough sleeping as safe and accessible housing fosters health and socially diverse and inclusive communities.
We're also developing a new 10-year Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy for our City. This will guide how we help people who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, to find secure housing as well as how we support access to affordable and social housing.
After engaging with our community earlier this year to shape this strategy, a draft is now out for consultation. We are looking forward to receiving feedback and turning plans into action.
Projects like Madden House are part of this bigger picture - creating pathways to housing security and showing what's possible when governments, councils and community housing providers work together.
