Reclaiming our Housing Future

Daylesford Town Hall, 76 Vincent Street, Daylesford

Community members are urged to come along to the Daylesford Town Hall to hear how they can get involved  in ‘Reclaiming our housing future’.  Daylesford has been on the frontline of the most aggressive increases in  land prices on record.  According to the Valuer General, the decade to 2020 saw Hepburn as having the equal  fastest increase in land values in the state. For too long, communities and residents have borne the brunt of  rapidly rising housing costs, poor housing policy and the social impacts of gentrification.  But there are  alternative housing options and people working to shake up the broken housing system.  Come along to hear  about what is happening in the local area and how you can get involved.

Karl Fitzgerald, from Grounded, a not-for-profit organisation that advocates for a diverse range of housing  options will be presenting on Community Land Trusts and sharing the details of a local housing project.

“Community Land Trusts offer a method of limiting land values to wage increases.  CLTs also have  mechanisms in place to ensure local residents with a connection to the community are prioritised as  residents.”

The event will discuss how CLTs can provide housing that is perpetually affordable for current and future  residents.  Over time, CLTs can grow and expand to provide more housing for local residents.  Currently a  small group has come together to raise support for a 20 home venture.  They hope that following this meeting  to form a steering group to drive the development of community led housing in the region.

“We will present the concept and hope that it will be the start of a community collaboration towards a  Daylesford CLT project.”

Community Land Trusts are a for-purpose development model focused on delivering housing that meets key  community needs.  A CLT embeds perpetual affordability, sustainability and land custodianship into its core  purpose.  The CLT uses a pre-agreed resale formula to determine the value of the house and land.  This  ensures that the price of housing remains far more aligned with the reality of local wages and costs of living.

Potential homeowners require a much smaller deposit than buying into the open market.  By removing  speculative profit from the equation and reinforcing this with a solid constitution, land and housing are  preserved for future generations.  Lower land and housing costs restore a balance with local wages and can  free up time for residents to care for the land and contribute to the community.

For more information:

Karl Fitzgerald

P: 0400 676 457

E: karl@grounded.org.au