A Bill introduced by Senator David Pocock and North Sydney MP Kylea Tink to legislate a National Housing and Homelessness Plan is a welcome step to recognising adequate housing as a fundamental human right and creating a more equitable housing system for all Australians, according to the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA), Homelessness Australia, and National Shelter.

The three national peaks have come together to strongly endorse the landmark Bill, which would legally require the Federal Government to develop and maintain a 10-year plan to address Australia’s housing crisis.

Wendy Hayhurst, CEO of CHIA, said: “Mandating a long-term, comprehensive approach to addressing housing affordability and supply issues would allow Australia to move beyond short-term fixes and create lasting solutions. No one pretends this challenge is easy when we are grappling with decades of policy inaction, but a bold initiative like this could just be the circuit-breaker needed to get us onto a better path.”

Full release here

The Community Housing Industry Association has today launched a new set of national
standards to help housing providers respond effectively to domestic and family violence.

The standards include offering victim-survivors the chance to move house where required,
ensuring homes are promptly maintained, and making sure staff are trained in how to work with
victim-survivors and help them access support services.
The standards cover seven areas including:

• Building a skilled workforce
• Facilitating access to support for victim-survivors who are tenants
• Strong access, tenancy management and maintenance practice
• Monitoring of operational performance
• Advocacy and community engagement
• Maintaining and/or expanding housing services to victim-survivors
• Governance

CHIA CEO Wendy Hayhurst will launch the standards with Justine Elliot MP, Assistant Minister
for Social Services and Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, and community
housing providers in Sydney today.

Full media release here

The Albanese Government’s 24-25 Budget expands capacity to deliver additional social and affordable housing, eases pressure on people struggling with surging rents, and provides welcome and overdue support to young people and women fleeing family violence, the Community Housing Industry Association said. 

“The Budget commitment to increase Commonwealth Rent Assistance will provide some relief to Australians grappling with the most brutal rental market in living memory,” CEO Wendy Hayhurst said. 

Full media release here

The Community Housing Industry Association has welcomed the Albanese Government’s 24-25
Budget commitment to housing and homelessness.

CEO Wendy Hayhurst said:

“Australia is grappling with arguably the most difficult housing challenge in a generation.
Additional investment to help women experiencing domestic and family violence is both vital and
welcome – it is not tenable to house people fleeing violence in tents.

“The extra infrastructure funding for social housing in the new five year agreement with the
states is also a very welcome addition.

“In the years ahead we plan to continue working with the Commonwealth to deal with the deep
shortage of social and affordable housing Australia confronts. The current shortfall of 640,000
homes will not resolve itself and there is a pressing case to double the Housing Australia Future
Fund..

Full media release here

A new report shows Australia’s community housing industry continued to expand in the 2021-22
financial year, increasing the supply of much-needed social and affordable rental housing
nationwide. The sector is now providing over 132,000 homes for lower-income households
struggling in the private market.

The 2022 Industry in Profile report, published by the Community Housing Industry Association
(CHIA), provides a detailed look at the size and scope of the not-for-profit community housing
sector. Drawing on data from over 100 of the largest community housing organisations (CHOs),
the report finds:

• Community housing organisations were managing 132,417 social and affordable rental
  homes as of June 2022. This represents an increase of over 10,000 homes compared to
  the previous year.

Full media release cont’d here

CHIA was deeply saddened to learn that Steve Bevington has passed away.

On behalf of CHIA’s staff, CEO and Board we would like to extend our sincere condolences to Steve’s family, friends and all who knew him. Our thoughts are with you.

Steve was one of the original board directors at CHIA. He made an incredible contribution not only to CHIA and its work but to the sector.  CHIA would like to acknowledge his advocacy, profound knowledge and dedication. His passing is a huge loss.

Please read here for a formal announcement from Community Housing Ltd.

An alliance of housing, property and social service organisations is pressing the Albanese
government to significantly amplify its efforts to alleviate the national housing shortage.

The Property Council of Australia, National Shelter, the Housing Industry Association, the
Community Housing Industry Association, ACOSS, Master Builders Australia, and
Homelessness Australia are jointly urging the government to double the Housing Australia
Future Fund to $20 billion in the upcoming budget.

This would be a critical step towards meeting the ambitious target of constructing 1.2 million
new homes by 2029 under the National Housing Accord.

Full media release here

An additional 2,090 homes housing more than 4,000 young people experiencing homelessness could be built by drawing on $1 billion already set aside by the Commonwealth, according to new modelling that was presented to federal politicians in Canberra last week.

The money was allocated last year to the National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF) during negotiations between the Greens and the Government over legislation to establish the Housing Australia Future Fund.

Modelling conducted by Professor Laurence Troy, of the Australian Housing and Urban Research
Institute is based on constructing two bedroom dwellings based on building costs in Melbourne’s inner
east and the NSW mid north coast. It assumes a 60/40 split between metro and regional areas with the
units occupied by tenants paying rent set to a maximum of 25% of their income plus any Commonwealth Rent Assistance they may be eligible for. The analysis highlights the investment can also include developments of congregate and core and cluster housing.

Full media release here

The Federal Government’s new Housing Support Program must be increased to $750 million to empower local governments to help deliver the Commonwealth’s ambitious housing targets and enable vital infrastructure investment in new housing developments.

The competitive program – which has been welcomed by local government – will provide funding for connecting essential services, amenities to support new housing development, and building planning capability.

ALGA President Cr Linda Scott said the peak body for Australia’s 537 councils was a proud signatory of the National Housing Accord, which has set a target of 1.2 million new, well-located homes over the next five years.

However, under the current $500 million housing program, this only equates to about $400 per home, based on the 1.2 million homes target.  Given the costs of civil and essential services infrastructure in greenfield or infill development, the program funding is vastly insufficient.

Full media release, issued by National Growth Areas Alliance, ALGA and CHIA, is here

CHIA is a member of the Home Time Campaign. Further information below.

A coalition of over 80 organisations, including peak bodies, homelessness services, housing providers, unions and others, has written to Federal Minister for Housing and Homelessness Minister Julie Collins seeking urgent action to ‘unlock Australia’s housing system for 16-24-year-olds who are homeless and unable to access housing.

This follows an analysis of the most recent Specialist Homelessness Services data, which revealed that 37,872 children and young people approached homelessness services alone for assistance in 2022/23, including 9,232 children aged 15-17. Over 30% of the total number were First Nations children and young people.

The highest numbers were in New South Wales (12,854), Victoria (11,026), Queensland (5,654), South Australia (3,082) and Western Australia (2,514).

The most alarming finding was that even after assistance from homelessness services, 44% of children and young people 15-24 were still homeless.

These figures confirm what frontline services already know – that Australia’s housing and homelessness system is fundamentally broken when it comes to assisting unaccompanied children and young people with the housing and support they need.

Children who lose their homes before the age of 18 have often experienced violence and/or abuse in their family home and frequently have been through state/territory child protection systems before becoming homeless. The harm and trauma they experience after losing their homes has a lifelong impact throughout their lives.

Over 80 organisations across every state and territory have signed on to support this call, including Homelessness Australia, Community Housing Industry Association, Australian Council of Social Service, National Shelter, Australian Services Union, The Salvation Army, Melbourne City Mission, YFoundations, Anglicare Australia, VincentCare Australia, Brotherhood of St Laurence and many others. See www.hometime.org.au/supporters for a complete list.

Full media release here

Key figures in the housing, property, and finance sectors will come together to tackle the country’s
pressing housing challenges at the ninth Affordable Housing Development & Investment Summit, hosted
in Naarm/Melbourne from February 26-28, 2024.

Organised by the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA), the event provides a platform to
share innovative solutions and strategies in social and affordable housing design, investment, place
making, and tenancy/asset management.

Among the keynote speakers at the conference are CBUS Chair and former Australian Treasurer, Wayne
Swan, Housing Australia CEO Nathan Del Bon, CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith, and international
housing expert Alexandra Notay. A range of experts from the public, private, community and research
sector will also speak.

CHIA CEO Wendy Hayhurst said the summit came at a critical juncture. “The scale of Australia’s housing
challenge is significant, particularly for households on low and moderate incomes,” Hayhurst noted.
“Many Australians on decent incomes now find themselves part of the working poor, due to escalating
rents and mortgages.”

Full media release here

The community housing sector is urging the federal government to double the Housing
Australia Future Fund to at least $20 billion to combat the halving of low-income housing
supply since the early 1990s.

A new Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) analysis of Productivity Commission
government services data also reveals total social housing stock has grown at just a third of
the rate of Australia’s population in the decade to 2022-23. Public and community housing
stock numbers increased by just 21,744 or 5.2 per cent since 2012-13, far slower than
overall population growth of 15.1 per cent.

The result, as confirmed by the recent census, is that public and community housing has
dwindled to only 4 per cent of all housing.

Full media release here

Housing Australia opens first funding round today to support delivery of 40,000 more social and affordable homes via the Federal Government’s Housing Australia Future Fund and National Housing Accord.

From today, the Call for Applications is open for funding from the Federal Government’s Housing Australia Future Fund Facility (HAFFF) and National Housing Accord Facility (NHAF) for eligible social and affordable housing projects. 

Over a five-year period, the HAFFF is expected to support the delivery of 30,000 social and affordable homes and the NHAF is expected to support the delivery of 10,000 affordable homes around the nation, including in regional, rural and remote areas. 

Housing Australia is administering the programs and has opened the first funding round today. The programs have been designed to encourage participation by eligible entities for diverse housing projects of all sizes and across all of Australia. 

Full media release here

As 2023 ends, CHIA would like to take a moment to recognise the incredible work of its members, alongside their support and government partners, to provide accommodation and services to some of the most vulnerable people in the community. 

We acknowledge that the past year hasn’t been easy for many, with the cost and availability of housing becoming increasingly out of reach.  Now more than ever the need for safe, secure and affordable housing has never been greater, particularly with the massive shortfalls that we see across the country.

We recognise that the Government has made a series of policy and funding commitments that, together, provide a foundation for relieving high and growing levels of homelessness and rental stress across Australia. In combination, the 40,000 social and affordable rental housing to be supported by the HAFF and the National Housing Accord together with those generated via the Social Housing Accelerator and additional investment in the National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF) represent a significant first step in remediating a decade of national housing policy neglect. However much more needs to be done.

In 2024 CHIA will continue to work with all levels of Government and all ‘sides’ of politics to ensure that more social and affordable housing is programmed and that community housing organisations are recognised as the ideal partners to support the delivery.  

We wish you all the very best for a safe, enjoyable and restful holiday season. Thank you for your support this year. 

Best wishes,
CHIA     

CHIA will be closed from Friday 22nd December and will reopen on Monday 8th January 2024.

Bridge Housing have recently released an online impact report, available to view here.

As well as being at the forefront of online impact reporting, Bridge are one of the first, if not the first, CHOs to publish their scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions in their impact report, in line with the CHIA ESG standard.

Michelle Tjondro, Associate at SGS Economics and Planning who are leading the work around the standard with CHIA commented ‘Since launching in March 2023, 20 Adopters and 8 Supporters have now signed up to the ESG Reporting Standard for Australian community housing. We’re proud to witness the Standard driving a collective effort to transform the way sector value is celebrated by stakeholders and centred in investment decisions.’

The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) has strongly endorsed the
Commonwealth’s latest steps to deliver new social and affordable homes across Australia with
the announcement applications will soon open for funding under the Housing Australia Future
Fund (HAFF) and the National Housing Accord.

Wendy Hayhurst, Chief Executive of CHIA, said: “This is a significant first step. The
Commonwealth’s commitment to fund 40,000 new rental homes through the HAFF and the
Accord will make a tangible improvement for those who need affordable housing.”

The HAFF and the Accord are integral to tackling the housing crisis. Working through Housing
Australia, community housing providers can access long-term concessional loans and
availability payments, and in some cases upfront capital grants.

Full media release here