At Churches Housing, we are often asked what is the current and forecasted need for affordable housing in greater Sydney and the rest of the State.

So, we asked the City Futures research Centre at UNSW to extract these figures from one of their recent reports*.

In Sydney at the moment, we need more than 55,000 dwellings to meet unmet needs and another 24,100 in the rest of the State.

The total needed in 10 years is 91,450.

Affordable housing needs: current and by 2029

Section of Australia	Current unmet need	Projected unmet need by 2029	Total additional need
Greater Sydney	55,300	10,250	65,550 Greater Sydney
Rest of NSW	24,100	01,800	25,900 Rest of NSW
	79,400 TOTAL current	12,050 TOTAL by 2029	91,450 Total NSW

 

Estimating need and costs of social and affordable housing delivery by Dr Laurence Troy, Dr Ryan van den Nouwelant & Prof Bill Randolph, March 2019 CHIA and Homelessness NSW

From table 1: summary of national social and affordable housing need by sub-region (households)

Affordable rental housing is not available to those who need it, says new research by the City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, commissioned by the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC).

The survey found that Division 3 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009 (ARHSEPP) is being used to develop self-contained “micro-apartments” instead of providing affordable housing for marginal households which was its original intent. These “micro-apartments” are predominately occupied by renters who are either employed or doing tertiary studies.

The research found that the occupants of boarding houses were closer in profile to typical renters than traditional boarding house occupants or social housing waitlists. However, the survey also highlighted that nearly 90% of low-income earners were paying more than a third of their income on rent.

While these “micro-apartments” are able to be fast-tracked under Division 3 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009 (ARHSEPP), the developments are mostly not operating as lodgings.

Furthermore, self-contained apartment complexes do not meet the definition of a boarding house under Boarding House Act 2012 (NSW), so are not subject to operating regulations and inspection regimes to maintain fire safety, shared accommodation standards and at-risk occupant referrals to FACS.

Dr Laurence Troy, lead author of the report said that “people living in these new types of boarding houses are not who you typically except to find in more traditional boarding houses. The ARHSEPP was intended to provide options for marginal renters, but what we are finding is the most occupants are students and younger workers, people who you ordinarily find in mainstream studio apartment rentals.”

Some key findings of the research report Occupant Survey of Recent Boarding House Developments in Central and Southern Sydney are summarised below:

• Occupants were mostly (65%) overseas born (though not all recent arrivals), mostly (63%) under 35 years old, and evenly split along gender lines (54% female)
• 86% were rented out under formal tenancy agreements (cf. lodgings), with a similar proportion being self-contained, with private bathrooms and kitchens, and in some cases partly furnished
• 41% had access to common areas and onsite management
• 64% were on low incomes (<$800 per week)

 

https://ssroc.nsw.gov.au/occupant-survey-of-recent-boarding-house-developments-in-central-and-southern-sydney/

Community housing providers are being invited to apply for cheaper and longer-secured loans from the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC).

To help Tiers 2 and 3 CHPs apply, NHIFC has a grant program that funds professional advisory services providers chosen by the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA).

One such advisory company, Caldrex Capital, met various CHPs at a breakfast hosted by Churches Housing in early August.

Anglicare, BaptistCare, Ecclesia Housing and Uniting were just some of the CHPs that attended.

As part of providing better solutions for registered CHPs, NHFIC operates an Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator (AHBA).

AHBA aims to provide cheaper and longer-term secured loan finance for community housing by issuing bonds in capital markets.

Two projects announced in mid-July give some idea of the work being done.

In the first-ever construction loan to a CHP, BlueCHP will borrow $45.7 million to build at least 93 new dwellings in affordable housing projects at Lane Cove and Liverpool, on sites being acquired under the NSW Government’s Communities Plus program.

The construction loan will be for two years at interest of less than 4 per cent, which BlueCHP expects will generate savings of more than $600,000 each year.

In the second project, Bridge Housing will borrow $40 million loan for almost 300 social and affordable dwellings across Sydney.

The 10-year, low-interest loan will enable Bridge Housing to refinance existing projects and fund new ones. Over the life of the loan, it is estimated that NHFIC’s finance will save the community housing provider (CHP) as much as $7 million in interest and other costs compared to market rates.

Churches Housing is now engaging in two longer-term research projects which seek to inform how to build flourishing communities. If your organisation is interested in participating in any of these projects then we would love to talk with you.

Building Flourishing Cities: Faith-based engagement in Vertical Villages and the path to a better quality of City Life (A Salvation Army grant and locally led research from the Epping-Ryde-Macquarie Park precincts)

The input of people of faith into city and social developments has never been more urgent.

The world is experiencing rapid urbanisation with over half the population currently living in

an urban context.

This trend is set to rise steeply in the next 30 years, and by 2050 it is expected that over two-thirds of the global population will live in cities.

In Sydney, our current population stands at just over 5 million people, but this is anticipated to increase to 6 million in just 10 years.

Both globally and locally there are both enormous challenges, and tremendous opportunities for urban environments. With densifying centres and inner rings, and growing outer suburban rings, understanding and serving urban environments is a significant exercise for all faith communities.

Important question must be asked from a faith perspective:

What will be the quality of life for those living in our growing cities?

How will city dwellers in high-density towers engage in healthy spirituality and life giving

relationships?

Where will urbanites gather to build meaningful connections with their neighbours?

What can be done to support and nurture sustainable communities in these vertical villages?

 

Faith-based engagement through housing: examining new forms of community development, service provision and place-making (An ARC Linkage grant proposal led by Macquarie University)

This project will bring together a well-matched set of industry, community and academic partners to investigate how faith-based for-purpose organisations active in the fields of social and affordable housing negotiate the rapidly changing housing environment in NSW to contribute to practices and outcomes that address entrenched patterns of housing stress, social disadvantage and poverty in NSW.

Faith-based for-purpose organisations play important roles in delivering current housing and welfare policy, which prioritises creation of communities that include a mix of social, affordable and market units in medium and high-density developments, often led by private developers and secured through public tender processes.

Faith-based groups are simultaneously charged with addressing the challenges of concentrated social and economic disadvantage characteristic of social housing locations. They increasingly deliver services and support once provided by the state.

Those roles are under-researched and poorly understood by many in the field.

Importantly, as the management of social housing is transitioned to the community housing sector, partnerships between community housing providers and faith-based organisations are becoming more important in managing communities and providing the required social, cultural and economic support.

We are interested in the diverse ways that housing (public, community and affordable) has been mobilised by faith-based organisations (often in partnership with housing providers) as a means of addressing social and economic disadvantage and this research will increase both understanding and efficacy in delivering outcomes that address the key issues.

Two directors have resigned from Churches Housing’s board and we wish to thank them greatly for their input into our organisation.

Derek Yule was the founding CEO of Churches Housing, says current CEO Magnus Linder. ‘When I took over the reins six years ago, I said that I would let him have a rest before returning as a director on the board.

‘Derek has had so much knowledge and experience, along with a very gracious and supportive attitude. He has some ongoing health issues which are preventing him from continuing his work with the board.

‘I will miss your regular input, Derek, but wish both you and Ellen the very best in “real” retirement.’

Sue King has also stepped down for personal reasons. Magnus Linder says Sue ‘brought a very strategic brain, great skills and knowledge in research and a passionate heart for relieving housing stress with many vulnerable people.

‘Sue was my former boss at Anglicare and her input has seen Anglicare’s Rental Affordability Snapshot become an annual report much anticipated by our sector.

‘We wish you all the best, Sue, and thank you for your input, especially in developing our strategy and business plans.’

Australia’s cities are contributing to chronic and costly diseases, according to Dr Jennifer Kent and Professor Susan Thompson.

Speaking before the launch of their book, Planning Australia’s Healthy Built Environments, the authors said health issues were not embedded in planning. ‘At present, the cost-benefit analysis is very superficial when discussing healthy built environments,’ said Dr Kent.

Professor Thompson added: ‘The data is there, but if it’s not convenient, then it’s disregarded.’

Published by Routledge, the book is the first in Australia to study the links between health and the built environment. For example, the speed of city life clashes with rising inequity to make it difficult for exercise, community involvement and healthy-food preparation.

Dr Kent is a Robinson Fellow at the University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, and Professor Thompson leads the City Wellbeing Program in the City Futures Research Centre, UNSW.

Over the past couple of months Churches Housing has been involved in the CHP registration of three member organisations and one non-member.

All are looking to start building social and affordable housing in the near future.

FreshHope is increasing its housing team and has now completed its compliance review with assistance and training from CHI.

Anglicare NSW South, NSW West & ACT and the Maronite Church of Australia are both registering for the first time.

Churches Housing has been helping them in three ways: managing the process, developing policy and understanding the requirements of registration.

The fourth organization we are currently working with is the Aboriginal Land Council. CHI has been engaged to help develop policies and advise on the registration process.