Social Housing Legal Program
The Social Housing Legal Program is a joint initiative of Inner Melbourne Community Legal and the West Heidelberg Community Legal Service in response to the rapid transformation in the delivery of social housing in Victoria from the public sector to not-for-profit community organisations.
We have identified gaps in legal knowledge and services for those living in community housing, which we intend to address through the SHLP.
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The amount of public housing in Victoria is shrinking and the state government has turned to privately-run community housing organisations to make up for the shortfall of investment in public housing.
The proportion of community housing in Victoria has risen over the past decade to more than 20,000 units and there has been a corresponding increase in the number of community housing agencies.
Community housing providers can charge rents of 30% of household income, compared to 25% in public housing.
There are fewer rights and protections for renters than public housing, service charges are often high and unclear, disability modifications can be difficult to obtain and options to challenge or review decisions by landlords are more limited. Eviction rates are higher in community housing, leading to homelessness.
The SHLP began in March 2025 and has been funded for three years.
It has three functions:
1. Dedicated and specialist legal help for social housing renters.
2. Research and advocacy on the impact of the changing make-up of social housing and what this means for tenants.
3. Professional and community education for legal and non-legal services.
SHLP aims and objectives
The aim of the program is to help social housing deliver on its mission to provide sustainable homes for Victorians through best-practice regulation and accountability.
For renters, it will result in safe, secure, comfortable, affordable homes and prevent cycles of homelessness.
If you are living in community housing in our catchment area and you have a legal problem, you can contact Inner Melbourne Community Legal on 9328 1885 to see if we can help.
