A MULTI-STOREY social housing complex costing $18.3 million and comprising 44 homes on Wangaratta's Templeton Street is set for completion by the end of January.
Set in close proximity to public transport, shops and parks the development will be the new home for people on the Victorian Housing Register.
From next month, residents will start moving into the one, two and three-bedroom homes that meet the Silver Liveable Housing Standard, the 7 star NatHERS rating, and they are 4 star certified Green Star, making them warm in winter and cool in summer.
Project partner Uniting Vic Tas general manager housing and property, Kristie Looney, recently walked through the building and she described it as breathtaking.
"I went up to level four and looked out towards the river and there are modest sized floor to ceiling windows and they will give people a beautiful view of the river gums," she said.
"I'm really happy with the architects, they have delivered."
Ms Looney explained that a community housing team has been seeking expressions of interest from eligible renters and they consider people who are on the Victorian Housing Register.
The team has been working with other support services along with Uniting including Salvation Army, Beyond Housing, Junction Support Services.
"With that we've come up with about 145 applications and there are 44 apartments and the need is high," she said.
"The way that we like to allocate our housing is to really make sure they are local people who live in the community who have been forced out or can't access affordable housing or they will be moving into Wangaratta because they have family or their support network from a nearby place or they have a need to relocate because of family violence.
"We interview every potential renter, there's never a typical tenant and we really try to reflect within these buildings the diversity of the broader community.
"We make sure we have a real mix in who's placed or who is offered a house."
Uniting has a strong track record and across Victoria they have just under 900 households that they manage and look after including other apartment buildings.
"We really take pride and care about how we bring communities together and settle them into their homes and engage people into the local community if they need it," Mr Looney said.
"It's about placemaking and making sure people are happy in their home because sometimes it can take some time to build a community."
The state Labor government invested $13.5 million towards the project as part of the landmark $6.3 billion Big Housing Build – Australia’s biggest ever investment in public and community housing delivering 12,000 new social and affordable homes across Victoria.
As part of the Big Housing Build, Regional Housing Fund and other social housing programs, $60 million has been invested towards the Rural City of Wangaratta, to build 171 homes completed or currently underway.
The government reported the $1 billion Regional Housing Fund is delivering more than 1300 new and upgraded social and affordable homes across regional and rural Victoria.
Member for Northern Victorian and Treasurer Jaclyn Symes said these brand new, modern homes are close to the public transport, shops and parks, and offer more people the chance to live in modern, safe and accessible homes right in the heart of Wangaratta.
Acting Minister for Housing and Building Melissa Horne said every Victorian deserves a safe place to call home.
"Right across the state we're building thousands more social and affordable homes and pulling every lever possible to get more homes built,” she said.