Albany to receive new modular homes in bid to ease housing crisis

Four modular homes will be rolled out as new social housing properties in Albany under the first instalment of a WA Government bid to combat the Statewide housing crisis — but they will take up to eight months to build. Albany was one of four regional locations to be allocated the first crop of 15 modular homes under the State Government’s $100 million Modular Build Program. The program aims to roll out 200 homes in the next two years through the Department of Communities, including 150 in the regions. On Friday, the State Government announced it had appointed three building companies to a pilot panel to deliver the first 80 modular homes with more contractors needed to deliver the remaining homes. Visiting Albany on Tuesday, Housing Minister John Carey said the alternative form of construction provided a faster turnaround time amid the city’s crushing housing shortages. “Currently in the heated construction market more traditional builds can take up to two years,” he said. “Modular homes are taking around eight months. “As the minister I am doing everything I can to accelerate, pump out social housing in both metro and regional WA. “We do believe that this will be successful and the aim is that if this first 200 work well, then we will continue to use modular as a real alternative to accelerate the delivery of social housing. “Our aim is to get those modular homes out as quickly as possible.” Mr Carey said the placement of the modular homes would be decided by the Department of Communities based on availability of land. There were 439 applications for public housing in Albany of which 119 were priority listed as of August 31, according to the Department of Communities. At the time, applicants faced an average wait of 67 weeks for general housing and 33 for priority. On his visit to Albany, Mr Carey stopped by an Orana social housing property undergoing a $140,000 renovation. It is one of 43 ageing homes across the Great Southern set to be refurbished in a bid to relieve the region’s housing woes. “We are trying to retain and keep in the system, as many homes to ensure that we have as much public housing as we can,” he said. “For Albany our investments will mean around 30 new houses added to the system. “We are doing maintenance work around 700 homes in the Great Southern and refurbishment works around 43 homes in the Great Southern.”