This week, the Collaborate for Change: Advancing Housing Justice in Regional Victoria project received funding from the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner’s Advancing Housing Justice Change Grant program.
The funding will be shared across the six participating legal services, with ARC Justice — a rights-based, for-purpose organisation incorporating the Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre and Housing Justice, a specialist renter support program based in Bendigo, and the Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centre based in Shepparton — as one of the lead agencies.
ARC provides legal and tenancy support services across 13 local government areas in central and northern Victoria, with a team of more than 60 staff working to advocate for and uphold the rights of rural and regional Victorians.
The project joins ARC with Ballarat and Grampians Community Legal Service, Barwon Community Legal Service, Gippsland Community Legal Service, Hume Riverina Community Legal Service and Mallee Family Care Community Legal Centre, ensuring a statewide, regional approach to tackling housing stress.
A regional housing summit in 2026 will bring place-based legal services, community organisations and decision-makers together to discuss and push for systemic change in support for regional renters and others experiencing the housing crisis.
ARC Justice chief executive Damian Stock said the project was a crucial step in ensuring regional communities were heard in housing policy discussions.
“Housing affordability and availability in regional Victoria is at crisis levels, and we need policy solutions that reflect local needs,” Mr Stock said.
“This funding will allow us to capture the reality of housing stress in our communities and push for real, lasting change.”
Each legal service will have a housing collaboration co-ordinator to drive regional action plans, ensuring responses reflect local realities.
The project will also fund a project lead and an impact and evaluation co-ordinator to oversee delivery and measure impact.
