Anyone looking for an affordable home to rent in Blayney will know just how difficult it is.
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Demand from expanding building projects and spillover from Orange and Bathurst has left Blayney's renters short on options.
For those on a low income there is relief in sight with the announcement of a new affordable and social housing project between Blayney Shire Council and Housing Plus.
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Consisting of three one-bedroom and three two-bedroom units the development will be situated over two empty blocks of council owned land in Frape Street.
The first step of the agreement will see Housing Plus lodging the development application whilst council has agreed to meet those costs.
The project's timeline though is unknown as it is subject to grant funding becoming available in the future, but both Housing Plus CEO David Fisher and Blayney Mayor Scott Ferguson are confident that those funds will be found.
"We have to get the DA approved by council and then when the funding is announced we can apply immediately for it," Mr Fisher said.
"The state government has announced that $800 million will be made available for affordable and social housing projects and we'll also be looking at regional stimulus packages coming from the federal government, so it's all dependent on that."
Mr Fisher said that the units were designed to allow for a mix of residents be they individuals, couples or small families who were looking for somewhere stable to settle.
"On average it's up to a two year wait for a one-bedroom unit and three years for a two-bedroom unit, so the demand is very high," he said.
The security that Housing Plus provides is one of the bonuses that Cr Ferguson sees with the project.
"We have a tremendous working relation with Housing Plus and really need this type of housing in our community where people won't be moving year to year, and will be able to have the security that they don't get on the private rental market," he said.
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Mark Logan
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
