Waiting list wanes

By Bridget Cook
THE number of Greater Dandenong residents waiting for public housing significantly dropped in recent months.
Greater Dandenong and Casey residents waiting for public housing fell by 6.28 per cent, by 303 applications to 4515 for the December 2010 quarter.
South Eastern Metropolitan Region State Member Inga Peulich said while the Baillieu Government has recognised that there was still an enormous amount of work to be done to support Greater Dandenong residents, they had already started to deliver on election commitments.
“More work will be done to tackle the pressure on the public housing waiting list,” Ms Peulich said.
“The Baillieu Government’s immediate concern was the number of vacant public housing properties in Victoria.”
Ms Peulich said there were already opportunities to reduce the number of vacant properties by 500, so that those left languishing on the public housing waiting list could be housed.
“The Baillieu Government is already providing better information about bond assistance to help families enter the private rental market, instead of having them wait years for a roof over their heads,” she said.