Responding to questions from the Times, commercial and business operations general manager Paul Whyte said 98 houses in the area were completed last financial year, plus another five so far this year, while 69 more houses were under construction.
Mr Whyte said the Public Housing Stock Redevelopment Strategy, announced in the 2013-14 State Budget, would redevelop 100 vacant lots and 100 existing public houses to provide 500 dwellings over three years without any net reduction in public housing stock.
‘The vacant lots and public housing dwellings will be drawn from across the Perth metropolitan area, with some located in the larger regional areas,’ he said.
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READ NOW‘While there will likely be properties located in the cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo as part of the PHSRS, at this stage no properties have been identified in these local government areas.’ Mr Whyte said the department would sell half of the affordable homes through the shared home ownership scheme, while the remainder would be sold at full market price.
‘For people wishing to purchase a property through the shared home ownership scheme, they will first need to meet the existing eligibility criteria for a SharedStart loan,’ he said.
Housing Minister Bill Marmion announced funding of $130 million last month to build the extra 500 affordable homes, which he said would be sold from about $270,000.
‘It means more West Australians on lower incomes will be able to afford to buy their own house,’ Mr Marmion said.
‘We have already provided more than 10,000 new affordable homes, and this extra money means we will reach and exceed our target of 20,000 homes much quicker than projected.’
Mr Marmion said the affordable homes initiative would complement the increase in the First Home Owners grant ” boosted from $7000 to $10,000 for people building new homes.
Mr Marmion said this would stimulate additions to the housing stock.