The Tasmanian Government is delivering our commitment to increase the supply of affordable housing in Tasmania, with work now underway to deliver 18 new affordable housing dwellings in Somerset for priority applicants on the Social Housing Register.
Increasing the supply of affordable housing will be crucial as we work through the COVID-19 pandemic as it will ensure Tasmanians have safe and secure accommodation while supporting jobs in our vital building and construction sector.
The homes are being constructed by Tasmanian company Beardwood and designed by Tasmanian architects Starbox, supporting local jobs on the North West Coast when they need it the most.
The $3.1 million development was made possible by capital grants that were announced as part of Stage two of our Affordable Housing Action Plan, with the Government contributing $2.1 million. The remaining balance of the investment was provided by Housing Choices Tasmania, who will manage the properties under a long term agreement with Housing Tasmania.
We will continue to deliver our Plan with over 250 homes currently under construction and Community Housing Grants worth $34 million recently announced deliver a further 300 new homes, made possible by the Commonwealth Housing Debt Waiver Agreement.
We also have work underway to identify and bring forward more social and affordable housing projects where possible.