First look at forever homes

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Executive General Manager of Housing & Property Strategy Ray Kelleher and Interim Group CEO Charlie Spendlove visiting the prototype apartment in Kennington.

Bendigo locals were given a first look at their forever homes at an event held by VincentCare Community Housing on 23 February 2026.

The event unveiled a prototype of 84 new homes being delivered and funded by VincentCare Community Housing and St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria and partially funded by Homes Victoria under the Victorian Government’s Big Housing Build.

The Kennington, a suburb of Bendigo, Big Housing Build project replaces 30 older independent living units on St Aidans Road on land owned by St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria with 84 modern, energy efficient homes. This vibrant, community-focussed housing precinct will provide more homes for people aged 55+ who are on Victoria’s Housing Register, providing stability and safety for older Victorians experiencing or at risk of homelessness. 

The new homes will be built in two stages. Stage 1 is expected to be completed by mid-year when the 27 residents living on site in the older units will move into their new homes and the old buildings will be demolished and Stage 2 will commence.  

This project is the blueprint for what modern, dignified community housing looks like in regional Victoria. The project includes an upgrade to the community hub that all residents can access along with the Society’s integrated support model that provides services to help them maintain independence and connection to community. The community hub will host a range of programs and residents have been invited to help co-create what that looks like. 

Before residents toured the prototype apartment, their questions were answered by the VincentCare Community Housing team at an information session. The community room was full, and residents were excited, eager and curious to see exactly what their new homes will look like. 

Residents were keen to know more about the on-site community hub, who their new neighbours will be, and how the project will develop from here. 

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria's interim Group CEO, Charlie Spendlove said, “Everyone deserves a forever home. By providing high-quality, long-term housing, we’re helping Bendigo residents stay safe, supported, and right where they belong: at the heart of our community.”

Housing affordability continues to be a pressing issue across Victoria, with rising rents and cost-of-living challenges pushing more people into financial stress and risk of homelessness. Bendigo’s rapid population growth is colliding with a statewide housing crisis, and regional Victoria is feeling the brunt of it. Developments like Kennington are critical in providing secure, purpose-built housing designed to relieve pressure on housing and restore dignity and stability for more people – in this example for more people over 55. 

“We’re deeply committed to our residents, working closely with them to ensure they feel heard, informed at every stage, and remain well connected to each other and the community,” Charlie said. 

This project is one of three major community housing developments that VincentCare Community Housing is delivering in partnership with Homes Victoria as part of the Big Housing Build, providing a total of 185 new homes across Bendigo, Footscray, and Wollert. It’s a significant contribution to addressing Victoria’s worsening housing crisis with 30,000 Victorians listed as high priority on the Victorian Housing Registry in urgent need of housing.