A share of the federal government's $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator funding is being used to build new homes and refurbish existing properties in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, as demand for social housing continues to rise in the region.
A statement from the government issued on Tuesday said the program, which was launched mid last year, had delivered about 1500 new social housing properties and restored 300 dwellings across NSW.
Nine new social housing properties will be built at Wallsend and nine others at Toronto, Windale, Gateshead, Elermore Vale, and Edgeworth will be refurbished, the statement said.
"Building more homes means putting roofs over people's heads and giving people the space they need to get their lives back on track," Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon said.
The news comes amid an ongoing social housing crisis. It was reported in April that some parts of NSW had waiting lists as long as five years for social housing, while the Newcastle Herald reported last year that there was a need for more social housing in the Hunter region.
Federal Housing Minister Julie Collins said on Tuesday the government would "keep delivering so more Australians have a safe and affordable place to call home".
"Collaboration is critical in addressing Australia's housing challenges and it's great to be working in partnership with other tiers of government to build more homes in Newcastle," she said.
As of March 31, there were 57,400 singles and families on the NSW waitlist, including about 8600 priority applicants.
