YWCA and DJAARA break ground on new housing development for women in Bendigo

Giovanni Torre Published October 25, 2024 at 10.30am (AWST)

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YWCA chief executive Michelle Phillips, Victorian Minister for Housing Harriet Shing, and Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation Board Chair Bec Phillips at the site. Image: DJAARA.

YWCA Australia and Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJAARA) officially broke ground on the Burnayi Lurnayi project in Bendigo on Friday.

Funded by Homes Victoria as part of the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build Regional Round and a grant from the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation, the project will deliver 35 homes including a three-storey apartment building comprising of 12 one-bedroom and 14 two-bedroom apartments, and 9 three-bedroom townhouses.

Burnayi Lurnayi ('young women' in Dja Dja Wurrung language) homes will be allocated to women and their families on the Victorian Housing Register, with half of the properties prioritised for First Nations women.

Bendigo's rental vacancy rate is 1.8 per cent, well below the Real Estate Institute of Australia's healthy benchmark of 3 per cent.

DJAARA General Manager Cassandra Lewis said she was pleased to be moving forward on a development which will help more First Nations women find culturally safe and secure housing.

"Burnayi Lurnayi will meet an urgent need for safe housing for our most vulnerable people," she said.

"First Nations People who have lived through generations of exclusion, disadvantage and trauma are particularly at risk of homelessness.

"DJAARA is pleased to be working with YWCA and the Victorian Government to provide more access to housing for women, particularly First Nations women, in the Bendigo area."

Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation Board Chair Bec Phillips speaks at the ground breaking ceremony in Bendigo. Image: DJAARA.

YWCA Australia Group chief executive Michelle Phillips said the Association is excited to be one step closer in delivering long-term secure and affordable housing for women in the regional area of Bendigo.

"Today is another significant milestone for this project which will deliver high-quality homes for women and their families, designed with their needs in mind," Ms Phillips said.

"YWCA is working on the front lines of housing, homelessness and family and domestic violence every day. We see firsthand just how great the need is for gender responsive long-term housing options to address these intersecting issues.

"Community housing providers like YWCA have a critical role to play in addressing the housing crisis in Australia but we can't deliver solutions alone. We are proud to be working alongside DJAARA and the Victorian Government to best meet the needs of women in Bendigo experiencing housing insecurity."