Michaela Meade
The Footscray and Seddon communities are calling for Maribyrnong council to approve an application for social housing in the area.
Residents have responded to the council knocking back an application for social housing at 69 Buckley Street, saying it should be allowed.
The site is in between the suburbs of Seddon and Footscray.
The council had rejected the application on the grounds that it would impact the amenity of the area.
At a council meeting last month, two residents asked questions about why the application was refused.
Seddon resident Sally Thompson called for the council to explain its decision.
“Could council please explain why they believe people with a disability, women fleeing domestic violence, and people on low incomes, who are the priority groups for social and affordable housing, adversely impact the amenity of surrounding properties?” she asked.
Cr Sarah Carter said the council had a demonstrated commitment to providing affordable housing in the area.
“This city has always carried its weight and has a strong commitment to the provision of [social] housing,” she said.
“What we go for, for the best outcomes for people living in social and affordable housing, is for it to be integrated into the community.
“We also have to look at the impacts on amenity and make sure that we make informed, based on best practice decisions about where this type of housing is located.”
Resident Austin Jenkins said those living in social housing were “part of the fabric of our small, tight knit community”.
Mayor Michael Clarke said the refusal came down to the additional services that were lacking in the application.
“The problem here is not so much the numbers, but the framework, the model of care in which the housing actually operates,” Cr Clarke said.
“That’s the key here. It’s not the profile of the clients, the profile of those who live in these facilities, no, it’s the support that needs to be in place to ensure that the needs of these people are attended to.
“When you have a high concentration of incredibly needy people in that environment, without those supports, without concentrated support commensurate with those who are in these circumstances, you will have major difficulties.
“The absence of support, that’s what makes it unacceptable.”
A petition recently circulated by a member of the Footscray Good Karma Network Facebook group garnered 120 signatures, calling for the council to approve the application.
“We are indeed a welcoming and inclusive community who take care of people who are doing it rough,” the petition organiser said in a post thanking signees.
