Geraldton to receive five modular homes to reduce social housing waitlist

Geraldton will receive five new modular homes as part of a program aimed at reducing social housing waitlists across regional WA.

The new homes will be installed as part of the State Government’s Modular Build Program, which promises to see 200 social homes delivered to WA communities in the next two years.

Instead of traditional home construction methods, modular builds involve high-quality housing being built off-site in a factory before it is transported to location.

The program has contracted 36 homes to date, with the Great Southern, Goldfields-Esperance and Wheatbelt regions also selected to be recipients of new houses.

Of the social housing for Geraldton, four homes will be located in Wandina and the remaining modular house will be installed in Beachlands.

With Mid West and Gascoyne residents waiting up to 94 weeks for public housing, Member for Geraldton Lara Dalton said additional housing stock was desperately needed.

She said the modular homes were quicker to assemble than “brick and mortar” buildings and are expected to be ready by the end of the year.

“Housing is one of the major issues I deal with in my office every day. We are working to restore and renovate homes as well, but new housing stock for vulnerable people on the waiting list for housing is very welcome news,” she said.

“We are also building traditional homes, but this program will deliver more new housing faster.”

Housing Minister John Carey said the initiative meant housing could be delivered in a timely manner without placing additional strain on WA’s over-stretched construction industry.

“I’m a big advocate of modular housing production and growing this industry in WA. It offers many advantages including less risk of weather delays and works able to be carried out on-site simultaneously with the factory build,” he said.

“The companies that deliver these homes have all the necessary trades in house, so they have the capacity to deliver faster than traditional builds in the current market.”