The New South Wales government has transformed an empty commercial warehouse into 14 new social homes as it continues to look for innovative solutions to boost housing.
The warehouse, which has been vacant for more than two decades, will now give around 20 residents safe and secure housing, with priority given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The transformation was made possible through a AU$2.9 million grant from the NSW government, supported by funding from Orana Support Services.
As a Community Housing Provider, Orana Support Services will own and manage the property while providing integrated outreach through its Specialist Homelessness Service.
Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty emphasised that the project allows locals to remain in their own backyard.
“Transforming a long-vacant site into new homes means more people in Narromine can stay connected to their community and build a stable future,” she said.
The Narromine warehouse conversion is part of a wider momentum across Western NSW, where nearly 500 new homes have been delivered since April 2023.
The NSW government is currently leaning on a toolkit of diverse solutions to address supply, including a nation-leading land audit which has identified sites capable of delivering over 11,000 homes.
The government also plans to build 90 homes using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) through 2026. The government also started the AU$100 million Homelessness Innovation Fund (HIF), which has already seen the creation of an additional 800 new beds in NSW across varying accommodation models.
The momentum will continue with the historic $6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW program, which aims to deliver 8,400 new public housing units, 21,000 affordable and market homes, and upgrades to 30,000 existing social housing properties.
NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said: “Everything is on the table when it comes to solving this housing crisis.
“If a vacant warehouse can become more than a dozen new homes, then we’ll do it.
“We are open to any and all innovative ideas to confront the housing crisis as we build new homes under our record-breaking AU$6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW program.”
