Yesterday the Constellation Project launched a report produced for the Housing and Productivity Research Consortium: ‘Housing: Taming the Elephant in the Economy’.

This research is a City Futures Research Centre report investigating the ways that Australia’s housing system impacts on financial stability, inequality and productivity. The key finding is that damaging impacts of over-expensive housing are more pervasive than conventionally recognised, and that the Commonwealth Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia should therefore pay greater attention to this issue.

The reports can be found via the links below:

Housing: Taming the elephant in the economy [full report]

Housing: Taming the elephant in the economy [4-page summary]

Housing: Taming the elephant in the economy [videoclip summary by Prof Duncan Maclennan – 11 mins]

Media coverage of the report so far includes  the SMH/Age and a 10 minute interview with Prof Maclennan on ABC RN Breakfast.

The media release in support of the report can be found here.

A recording of the launch event can be viewed here (1hr) 

Victorians will soon have a range of new housing options delivered via a ground-breaking partnership approach led by Homes Victoria.

Australia’s leading not for profit housing provider and a key member of the Building Communities consortium, Community Housing Limited (CHL) is delighted to announce the consortium has been nominated as the preferred proponent to redevelop vacant Homes Victoria land in Brighton, Flemington and Prahran.

Full media release here

Australia’s largest not-for-profit community housing provider, Community Housing Limited (CHL) has launched first of its kind framework to measure the impact of safe, affordable, suitable, and quality housing on people’s lives.

Developed over a two-year period with broad customer consultation, CHL’s Social Impact Framework aims to better understand the change that is experienced by customers and communities, where the organisation provides housing.

Managing Director of the CHL Group, Steve Bevington said, “CHL is embarking on this exciting long-term journey towards creating an organisation that is impact led.

” Understanding where change is occurring gives us a powerful insight into how housing creates a long-term impact on people’s lives and their communities. Gaining this understanding will help us improve our services, set national strategic and development directions and provide valuable information to our partners.”

Social Impact Framework visual here

Full release here

On 8 May 2021, under the 2021- 2022 Budget, the Australian Government announced the extension of the FHLDS (New Homes) and the establishment of a new program called the Family Home Guarantee.

Family Home Guarantee

The Australian Government has announced a new program called the Family Home Guarantee, which provides eligible single parents with dependants the opportunity to build a new home or purchase an existing home with a deposit of 2 per cent, subject to the individual’s ability to service a home loan.

From 1 July 2021, 10,000 Family Home Guarantees will be made available over four financial years.

The Family Home Guarantee is aimed at single parents with dependants, regardless of whether that single parent is a first home buyer or previous owner-occupier. Applicants must be Australian citizens, at least 18 years of age and have an annual taxable income of no more than $125,000. A fact sheet with further information on eligibility criteria will be available on NHFIC’s website next week.

FHLDS (New Homes) extended for 2021-22

An additional 10,000 FHLDS (New Homes) places will be available from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022. Find out more about the eligibility criteria for the FHLDS (New Homes). An updated fact sheet on the 2021-22 extension will be available on NHFIC’s website next week.

This has been posted on NHFIC’s website at the following links:

https://www.nhfic.gov.au/media-resources/media-releases/update-from-the-australian-government-family-home-guarantee/

https://www.nhfic.gov.au/what-we-do/first-home-loan-deposit-scheme/

https://www.nhfic.gov.au/what-we-do/fhlds/

Aboriginal Community Housing Ltd (ACHL) has launched its new website: https://achl.org.au/.

ACHL was established in 2016 as a member of the Community Housing Ltd group of companies. It provides culturally appropriate housing services and support that puts the needs of communities and families first.

Complete with a visually appealing design, using traditional earth colours, the artwork was exclusively created by indigenous artist Ngarrindjeri man, Jordan Lovegrove, whilst the website was developed by Aboriginal agency, Dreamtime.  The straightforward and functional lay out was a key consideration, keeping in mind the end user and their need to find information efficiently and with ease.

Featuring a drop down menu function across the top, the website is an excellent resource for tenants, partners and community to learn all about the service offerings and projects of ACHL and confirms the commitment of CHL to develop ACHL as an independent national entity that is solely focused on meeting the housing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Check out the new ACHL website here.

Homes for Homes has opened a new grant funding round for social and affordable housing projects, with up to $140,000 available for the first time across the Northern Territory and Queensland. From Monday 12 April social and affordable housing providers in the NT and QLD are encouraged to apply for grant funding.

Homes for Homes provides a way for the entire community to help solve the issue of homelessness by raising funds for social and affordable housing through donations from property sales. Thanks to the support from the property industry and private donations, enough funds have been raised to grant to housing providers for the first time in the NT and QLD.

Full media release here

This was a joint online event held on 30 March 2021 with the Poverty & Inequality Partnership and CHIA. The recording link for the session is here.

COVID-19 has posed special risks for Australians experiencing poverty and disadvantage. It has presented a particular health and welfare hazard for people experiencing homelessness. The resulting 2020 economic downturn also placed many private renters at risk of eviction due to income loss. And even in social housing, vulnerable tenants faced the possible loss of vital services, as housing providers could no longer operate normally.

Drawing on newly-published research, this webinar will explore the nature and effectiveness of measures taken by governments, NGOs and rental housing providers to minimise pandemic-triggered risks to homeless people and tenants in 2020. The reports are:

• COVID-19: Rental housing and homelessness impacts – an initial analysis (published by the UNSW/ACOSS Poverty and Inequality Partnership)
• The Victorian Community Housing Experience with Extended COVID-19 Restrictions (published by the Community Housing Industry Association – CHIA)

Our guest speakers will also discuss how Australia’s responses have measured up to similar efforts in comparator countries, and what lessons can be learned from these experiences.

We are excited to announce our 2021 Virtual Conference – the Big Australian Housing Build. 
27 – 28 April

Register now

There has never been a better time to come together. We are seeing the end of the pandemic in Australia, with a shining light to a bigger and better future. We are building thousands of new homes for Victorians in need and creating tens of thousands of jobs to support Victoria’s recovery.

At this conference we will come together to talk about how we can all work towards recovery but also build better and stronger pathways to the future to empower real and sustainable change. The CHIA National and CHIA Victoria, the peak bodies for community housing are joining forces in 2021 to deliver a digital only conference that will talk issues and solutions facing the housing market, and tenants, in Victoria and across Australia.

We will be bringing international and domestic housing experts together in a major online educational and networking event held over two jam-packed days.

Early Bird closes: Tuesday 6 April 2021

Being a virtual conference we are able to offer the event at a very reasonable cost and there are discounts for group bookings so don’t hesitate – take advantage of the early bird rates now.

Register now

Homes for Homes has announced it will provide $200,000 to support two projects which will increase Australia’s supply of social and affordable housing.

YWCA Canberra will receive $100,000 towards establishing 10 supported dwellings for older women and women with children who are experiencing family violence while Homes for Homes will provide another $100,000 to assist Community Housing Canberra build two homes which will help women transition from custody to secure housing, employment and community connections.

Established by Australia’s largest and most successful social enterprise, The Big Issue, Homes for Homes is an independent, not-for-profit organisation helping to solve one of Australia’s biggest social issues – ending homelessness.

Full media release here

Pictured: Andrew Hannan, CEO CHC Affordable Housing, The Hon Michael Sukkar MP, Gavin Jackman, Homes for Homes, Frances Crimmins, CEO YWCA Canberra, Tracy Longo, Homes for Homes. Photo by Brenton Colley.

Commonwealth Rental Assistance (CRA) – When almost 30% of tenants who had received CRA in 2019/20 were still in rental stress, and with the maximum payment falling further and further below actual rental costs, we asked the question: ‘Is it time for reform?

National Shelter with CHIA organised a briefing by Prof Hal Pawson and Dr Chris Martin from City Futures Research Centre, UNSW  about their recently published AHURI research  – Demand side assistance in Australia’s private rental market – and explained how for a relatively modest cost we could reform CRA and improve housing outcomes for low income renters.

The City Futures presentation can be viewed here.

The Zoom recording can be viewed here.

The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) has finalised an innovative funding agreement with Victorian community housing provider HousingFirst, accelerating a program of work to deliver more affordable and social homes in Victoria, including newly built properties.

The deal will allow HousingFirst to access more than $18 million in NHFIC loans and grants for infrastructure works through NHFIC’s National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF).

The infrastructure funding will support a total of 316 homes across four projects in Melbourne’s Brighton and St Kilda areas, and will accommodate people currently on the priority social housing waitlist, with the majority of homes for women over 55.
NHFIC CEO Nathan Dal Bon said the agreement was the first of its kind struck under the NHIF with a Victorian community housing provider and hastened the development of much needed affordable and social housing across Melbourne.

Full media release here