Sisters of Mercy looking to build affordable social housing for community

Sister Teresa Foley said the mission to build affordable housing in Griffith had been ongoing for a number of years, as people on low incomes continue to struggle accessing and securing affordable housing.

"Of every type of housing whether it is temporary, short term or medium to long term there is a great immediate need," Sister Foley said.

"People are struggling as they are unable to get accepted on rentals due to unprecedented demand, especially if they are low income earners."

According to Sister Foley, the mission to build affordable housing in Griffith was a way for the Sisters of Mercy to practically help those in need.

"Housing is at the center of everything, we want to be involved, adequate housing is one of the most basic of needs."

The Sisters of Mercy will base their project of the Argyle Housing Project which will see the construction of 35 lots of affordable dwellings, space for a new community centre, a basketball court, playground equipment, and 4600 square metres of open of green space.

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They will also work in collaboration with St Vincent de Paul who have played a key role in building much needed low cost social housing units across the state.

Member for Murray said that it was 'heartening' to see the Sisters of Mercy take the lead in addressing the housing crisis plaguing Griffith, noting that land was key to the success of the mission.

"The Mercy Sisters and Vinnies are prepared to invest their own funds to build social housing in Griffith," Mrs Dalton said.

"What we need is land that they can buy at a low cost.

"There is a lot of unused land in this region, owned by governments and groups such as SunRice. It would be great to see councils, the NSW Government and the private sector come on board to get this project going."

A housing forum for the project will be held on February 9^th.

"The aim of this forum is for Not for Profits, community groups, businesses and governments to get together and solve this housing crisis," Mrs Dalton said.

"This is the biggest issue of our time."

Anyone wanting to be involved as a stakeholder in the forum is invited to contact Helen Daltons office by phone on (02) 6962 6644 or via email at murray@parliament.nsw.gov.au

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