Cottrell Street Werribee is now called home
Seventy-four households now call Unison’s latest affordable housing development in Cottrell Street Werribee, home. A Community Welcome Celebration was held recently to bring residents, neighbours, Unison staff and project partners together to celebrate and showcase the $30m six-storey contemporary apartment building, which was completed in December 2022.
It was an honour to be officially welcomed by the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners as part of the Celebration.
The new homes are already making a difference to people’s lives. Residents are building connections and friendships and enjoying their modern self-contained apartments. The building includes community spaces and solar panels and is close to education facilities, employment opportunities, public transport, support services and shopping precincts.
Connections are being made between Unison staff and residents, facilitated by our on-site Place Management. Unison’s place-based service along with additional wrap around services provides timely personalised support to help maintain long term and sustainable tenancies.
Unison CEO James King said at the Celebration, “Everyone deserves to have their housing needs met. Seeing 74 households welcomed into safe and high-quality housing is something to celebrate, however, we need to see continued investment into social and affordable housing – particularly in Melbourne's growing West.”
The development brings much needed social and affordable housing to the Wyndham City Council area. According to the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) Report Quantifying Australia’s unmet housing need: A regional snapshot, released in November 2022, the populous West has the highest unmet housing need in Melbourne, with 7% of all households either experiencing homelessness, overcrowded homes or spending over 30% of their income on rent. There are currently 20,200 people in this stressful housing predicament in Melbourne’s West which is projected to rise to 31,800 by 2041.
This major project was in great part funded by the Victorian Government’s Building Works stimulus program, which supports shovel-ready housing projects, to help address the housing affordability crisis in Victoria while creating new jobs.
The balance of the project’s costs was funded by Unison. As a not-for-profit organisation, Unison reinvests operating surplus back into our services, our properties and our communities, and importantly the development of much-needed affordable housing.
“We are really proud of this development and the high standard it sets for affordable housing in Victoria,” Mr King said.
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