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Affordable Housing Heroes

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Imagine spending more than 4 hours a day commuting to work in Sydney. This is an exhausting reality for some people that have been forced out of Sydney due to ever-increasing rent prices.

In some cases, Sydney employees are living in places like Gosford and commuting – because they can’t afford the rent in Sydney and can’t find work in their new town. Quite simply, they’re stuck. On a train. For a very long time.

Often confused for social or public housing — for which more than 140,000 Australians are on the waiting list, affordable housing is built for very low to moderate income households. The rents are lower than normal, so tenants are able to meet other basic living costs. Rents are set at least 25 per cent below the market rate and should not exceed more than 30 per cent of a household’s income.

These properties are generally close to public transport and job opportunities and managed by not-for-profit community housing providers. Some homes are interspersed throughout new residential developments, while others are in specific affordable housing developments.

In the past, I’ve spoken about the lack of affordable housing at length and raised questions about how it’s currently being addressed, but today I’d like to shine a spotlight on the developers and organisations out there that are making a difference in Sydney. And in some cases, you can help make a difference too, as some of these groups do seek out investors.

Click through to have to see what each organisation is doing.

EVOLVE HOUSING

www.evolvehousing.com.au

Locations: Kingswood, Mount Druitt, Penrith, Parramatta, Bankstown, Werrington

Based in Western Sydney, Evolve Housing is one of Australia’s leading Community Housing Providers (CHPs), managing over 4,000 social and affordable housing properties we are committed to creating thriving communities for all.

It is an award-winning, Tier-1 nationally registered community housing provider, recognised as one of the most innovative, high performing CHPs in Australia. They provide housing solutions to eligible people on very low to moderate incomes who are unable to access appropriate housing in the private market. This includes social and affordable housing. Evolve also have a presence in Tasmania through membership of Centacare Evolve Housing, and manages key worker housing in Victoria.

AUSTRALIAN AFFORDABLE HOUSING SECURITIES LTD

www.aahsl.com.au

Locations: Greater Sydney area + Surrounding Suburbs: Parramatta, Wentworthville, Rooty Hill, Rosehill, Campbelltown & Elanora Heights, Liverpool, Canterbury, Bardia, Marrickville & Fairy Meadow (Wollongong) Westmead (Western Sydney)

AAHS is an established Australian Finance Services License holder and is a market leader in the development and delivery of innovative finance schemes to assist everyday Australians rent or buy a home. AAHS applies a disciplined approach to investment decisions and maintains a strong compliance and risk management culture.

The strong investment returns generated for investors are comparable with other market offerings; however, AAHS’s vision is to support the charitable missions of their shareholders who are industry leaders in both social impact investment and community housing.

They provide services to the sector including:

  • NRAS Compliance services
  • Affordable Housing Structures and Financing
  • Shared Equity Housing Structures and Financing
  • Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Financing

Comprised of a team of experienced personnel with financial services, property industry and compliance backgrounds. The team at AAHS are committed to driving innovation to deliver more homes, while ensuring sustainable financial returns to investors.

BlueCHP Limited

www.bluechp.com.au

Locations: Campbelltown, Fairfield, Bankstown, Northmead, Parramatta, Harris Park, Worrigee, St Marys, Ropes Crossing, Jordan Springs

BlueCHP is proud to provide housing for 1,300 people. They have a dedicated team of property development professionals seeking to turn every dollar into more affordable housing. By adopting innovative designs and new technologies they are  able to build more affordable homes. Using commercial and business skills, they bring transactions to life, providing a bridge between the commercial world, not-for-profit sector and government.

Their specialist teams in New South Wales and Queensland work with partners to design and deliver large transformational housing projects. Since inception in 2008, they have used $5 million of seed money to deliver more than 1,700 homes, retaining 750 worth $300 million. They offer a full range of services, from project inception to handover and as a leading Community Housing Provider, deliver their own affordable housing – for sale and long term rentals.

COMMUNITY HOUSING LIMITED (CHL)

www.chl.org.au

Locations: Parramatta, Randwick

CHL originated in Australia in 1993 and has since spread its operations to South Asia, South-East Asia, South America and Africa. At 30 June 2019, CHL had a portfolio of 10,737 properties under rental management in Australia across six States including Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania.

Internationally in Timor Leste, Chile, Papua New Guinea, Peru, India, Indonesia and Rwanda, CHL aims to assist those who are disadvantaged by market failure by securing a pathway to secure housing recognising that long-term rental and home ownership is one of the means by which the poor can escape from poverty.

CHL has a quarter of a century of leading edge experience working in partnership with national and state governments, local government authorities, social support agencies, and community groups to address local housing affordability problems. CHL creates stronger communities by keeping local residents in their local area.

In Australia, CHL provides end-to-end affordable housing development and a long-term housing and tenancy management operation.  This includes engagement with communities where there is housing need, project conception, securing finance, land acquisition, project design and construction supervision, and long-term rental management of housing for low to moderate income people.

HUME HOUSING

https://www.humehousing.com.au

Locations: Bankstown, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Inner West Sydney, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith

Hume Community Housing provides homes and services to more than 9,000 people across New South Wales. They build new properties, manage tenancies for owners, and provide services and support to their diverse customers through a range of partnerships.

Their specialist tenancy and asset management teams take a ‘housing-first’ approach, providing safe, secure and sustainable housing in the first instance. They then provide people with advice and assistance to determine their housing options and to maximise their opportunities to prosper. Their person-centered and strength-based support services enable goal setting and choices for their customers,
both socially and economically. 

START YOUR OWN HOUSING COLLECTIVE

If you’re interested in what these guys do, be sure to get in touch with them. They may even inspire you to start your own housing collective to build affordable housing for many Australians in need. Of course, if I can help steer you in any way, please get in touch too – creating more affordable housing is a serious passion of mine.

Let’s fix this.

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