Greater Shepparton City Council is set to vote on a proposed land lease in Shepparton at Tuesday’s December council meeting, for a program to help young people transition to living independently.
Kids Under Cover is a not-for-profit organisation tackling youth homelessness, and its Village 21 program provides accommodation and support for six people aged 18 to 21 who have left foster care.
The proposal before council is to approve a lease to Kids Under Cover to run the program at 20-22 Perrivale Dve, Shepparton.
The recommendation to council is a 10-year lease, at a peppercorn rental of $1 per year, with a single option to renew to realise a Village 21 facility.
It would consist of a communal building with a kitchen, living room and laundry, three two-bedroom studios, two one-bedroom studios for live-in mentors, and a communal barbecue area.
Given the size of the land at 20-22 Perrivale Dve, if the program went ahead it would use about 20 to 25 per cent of the land, with the rest kept as open space.
Community consultation on the proposal ran for two months and council received 20 submissions and three verbal presentations, including six in support and 12 objections.
The concerns raised by submitters have been summarised and addressed by council officers in a conversation report to be noted by council at Tuesday’s meeting.
According to the recommendation by council officers, if council did not support the proposal it would “result in a policy failure, undermine support for the sector and contribute to a worsening housing crisis”.
Greater Shepparton was estimated to have the highest rate of homelessness in regional Victoria in late 2019, and council adopted an affordable housing strategy in April 2020.
It also formed the Greater Shepparton Affordable Housing Reference Group to provide advice to council on achieving affordable housing outcomes.
The December council meeting will also include the awarding of event grants, a multicultural strategy update, and an extension request for a planning permit to redevelop the Numurkah Rd IGA site.
Find the conversation report and December council meeting agenda at greatershepparton.com.au/council/governance/council-meetings