Affordable housing is essential infrastructure and is vital to improve the liveability of our city. It supports the diversity of our community and the productivity of our economy.

In Melbourne, decades of under-investment in affordable housing combined with significant population growth, rising housing costs, and the COVID-19 pandemic means there is a severe shortage of affordable homes for people on low and moderate incomes.

Through our Council Plan, the City of Melbourne is committed to facilitating more affordable housing for key workers. We have reaffirmed this in our Affordable Housing Strategy and will develop policy that aims to secure affordable rental housing for key workers. To inform this work, we want to better understand who the key workers are in our city and how we can support more people on low and moderate incomes to live in the city.

Key workers are generally defined as people who provide an essential service to the community. They play a critical role in keeping our economy functioning, our services operating and community thriving. They are less likely to work from home and often work outside of traditional business hours. Some examples of key worker professions are cleaners, delivery drivers, childcare workers, and chefs.

We are currently undertaking research to better understand the housing needs of local workers on low and moderate incomes. Be in with a chance to win one of fifty $100 pre-paid Myki cards by completing an online survey by Friday 9 June.

For more information, contact homesmelbourne@melbourne.vic.gov.au