By Mikayla van Loon
Yarra Ranges Council has decided to extend the lease contract for the Jim Fuller Community House in Mooroolbark for a further 20 years.
The affordable housing premises at 26 Winyard Drive helps home five to six low-income independent older persons and has been leased by the council for this purpose since the 1980s.
In May the previous nine year lease agreement expired with the council putting out the proposed 20 year renewal for community consultation, receiving no submissions for or against.
“It has given a house to five people that may otherwise be living in their car or who knows where they’d be living,” Councillor Len Cox said.
It was first established as a purpose built facility on the 875 square metre block by the Office of Housing, the council and the Mooroolbark Lions Club to provide long term accommodation for people experiencing homelessness over the age of 60.
The Jim Fuller House committee has now sought a longer lease to provide security and assurance of this long term living situation for its residents.
“Before us is a lease for 20 years to provide that stability and that guarantee of a future for the organisation and for the residents within that site,” Cr Johanna Skelton said.
“It wasn’t just the council alone. We as a council are not contributing a great deal beyond that site but with the agreement of and the support of the volunteer organisation…what a tremendous legacy this has. It’s been such a long time.”
Both Cr Skelton and Cr Cox said it would be wonderful to see this model of management and housing grow across the state.
“The only thing you can learn from the way this has been managed is that we need more of these houses, we really do need more,” Cr Cox said.
“It’s not just our municipality that needs more, but every municipality and perhaps if every council in Melbourne bought a house like this, we would reduce the number of homeless people which would be a bonus to everybody.”
The new lease agreement will be due to expire in July 2043.
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of supporting this extension of the lease.
