Category Archives: News

Everybody’s Home: Housing stress takes centre stage in Longman

News No Comments

Media Release

A majority of voters in the seat of Longman believe the federal government has failed to confront the housing rental crisis, with a new opinion poll showing people want greater investment in social and affordable housing, amid skepticism that first home owner grants can fix the problem.

The Everybody’s Home campaign is today releasing the results of a survey of 1025 voters in the swing seat of Longman and separate analysis of wage and rent data in the same electorate.

It shows the surge in rental prices is swallowing an ever larger chunk of the wages of those who’ve had some of the most difficult jobs during the pandemic, in aged care, child care and supermarkets.

Full media release here

Everybody’s Home: Housing stress takes centre stage in Gilmore

News No Comments

Media Release

A majority of voters in the federal seat of Gilmore believe the federal government has failed to confront the housing rental crisis, with a new opinion poll showing people want greater investment in social and affordable housing, amid skepticism that first home owner grants can fix the problem.

The Everybody’s Home campaign is today releasing the results of a survey of 666 Gilmore voters and separate analysis of wage and rent data in the same electorate.

It shows the surge in rental prices is swallowing an ever larger chunk of the wages of those who’ve had some of the most difficult jobs during the pandemic, in aged care, child care and supermarkets.

Full media release here

Forecasting strong new housing supply: but how many of these will be homes for Australians doing it tough?

News No Comments

CHIA Media Release

The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) congratulates the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) on its second State of the Nation’s Housing Report. Since the demise of the Housing Supply Council, Australia has lacked the succinct digest of housing data, necessary to inform both government and industry responses to housing need. This report is a great foundation to build upon.

On the upside, the report’s message is, that despite the pandemic, housing supply has held up well, that new dwellings are forecast to grow by more than 550,000 over the next three years, and that this level of supply is roughly consistent with household growth. Equally, housing affordability has generally worsened – both for aspiring homeowners, and also the often overlooked lower income private renters.

Full media release here

NHFIC releases flagship ‘State of the Nation’s Housing 2021–22’ research report

News No Comments

Media Release

The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) today released its flagship ‘State of the Nation’s Housing 2021–22’ research report.

First introduced in 2020, the State of the Nation’s Housing is NHFIC’s flagship research report. It provides analysis into housing demand and supply across Australia, as well as long-term projections, with a view to identifying potential drivers of, and challenges to, housing affordability.

Full media release here

State of the Nation’s Housing 2021-22 research report here

National Affordable Housing Alliance (NAHA): New policies target Australia’s housing crisis

News No Comments

A unified alliance of peak property, building, community housing, social services, union and industry superannuation groups is proposing a suite of new policy measures targeting Australia’s worsening housing crisis.

If implemented by the Australian Government, the policy options proposed in a landmark new paper released today could deliver 11,150 to 14,950 additional social and affordable homes per annum on top of the new supply already being created by state and territory governments through separate initiatives.

The Alliance’s core members advocating collectively for these new policies include the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Australian Council of Social Service, the Community Housing Industry Association, Industry Super Australia, Homelessness Australia, the Housing Industry Association, Master Builders Australia, National Shelter and the Property Council of Australia.
The policies aim to leverage new sources of private sector capital and Australia’s residential development capabilities, which are among the most efficient housing delivery mechanisms in the world.

Full media release here

CHIA Media Release: Build back better with community housing organisations

News No Comments

‘COVID-19: Rental housing and homelessness policy impacts’, the new report published by the UNSW-ACOSS Poverty and Inequality Partnership, demonstrates how much can be achieved with a ‘can do’ attitude. To protect from the pandemic during 2020, over 12,000 people sleeping rough were helped with emergency assistance. This has been followed by a significant step up in state-funded social housing construction, with 7,500 plus new homes planned over each of the next four years – well over double the 2-3,000 per annum that had become the disappointing norm over the past decade.

The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) congratulates Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania on their pandemic response and its members welcome the opportunity to play a prominent role in delivering the high quality, energy-efficient homes so badly needed by lower income Australians.

cont’d

Download the full media release here

NHFIC: Social Bond Report 2021

News No Comments

The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) has released its Social Bond Report for 2020–21. NHFIC’s Social Bond Report provides insights into bond issuances, including borrower profiles and use of proceeds.

Highlights include:

  • Issuing 3 bonds – including NHFIC’s first sustainability bond and longest-tenor bond, and first floating rate note – raising a total of $805 million.
  • Supporting more than 4,900 dwellings, with around two-thirds (65 per cent) of the CHP loans funded by the three bonds underpinning new housing supply.
  • Provided 9 community housing providers with an estimated $161 million in fee and interest savings, through longer tenor and lower-interest loans.
  • Continued to attract private investment into social and affordable housing in Australia, by growing NHFIC’s investor base domestically and offshore, with 7 new offshore investors.
  • Meeting the housing needs of a range of cohorts including vulnerable women, indigenous households, and people with disabilities.

Full media release here

Social Bond Report here

CHIA: Sector rejects Mr Falinski’s uninformed and prejudiced comments about social and affordable housing

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A coalition of affordable housing advocacy peak bodies has rejected the comments made by Jason Falinski MP, chair of the Standing Committee on Tax and Revenue’s Inquiry into housing affordability and supply in Australia, labelling them as uninformed and prejudiced. CHIA, Homelessness Australia, and National Shelter, object in the strongest terms to Mr Falinski’s misrepresentation of the sector and disregard for the important contribution that affordable housing makes to the wellbeing of Australians in housing need.

Mr Falinski’s statements at UDIA’s National TV event on 9 September denigrating social and affordable housing come in the same week that the Women’s Safety Summit issued a statement recognising that ‘Affordable, accessible long-term housing…… is fundamental to the safety and recovery of victim-survivors and must be a priority.’

Full release here

Expert housing panel: Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees conference

News No Comments

At the AIST (Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees) ASI 2021 conference last week one of many discussions that took place was on a newly developed investment model in affordable housing that aims to overcome some of the traditional barriers to pension fund investing in this asset class and deliver solid returns for members.

Carrie Hamilton, Consultant, Housing Action Network, Wendy Hayhurst, CEO @ CHIA and Associate Professor Christian (Andi) Nygaard, Deputy Director, Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology as an expert panel provided their insights into this topic. The recording can be heard here.

St Patricks: Innovative project to provide housing for 18 women

News No Comments

Funding has been secured for the construction of 18 prefabricated homes in North Fremantle for older women who are experiencing homelessness, a first in the provision of social housing in the metro area.

The homes will be built on vacant rail reserve land, leased on a peppercorn basis from the Public Transport Authority (PTA) through the Department of Communities.
WA has experienced pressure in the housing market since the advent of COVID-19, and there is significant demand for social housing options for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

This project is a partnership between My Home Australasia Limited (‘’My Home’’) and St Patrick’s Community Support Centre Limited (St Pat’s), and has been enabled with support from Lotterywest and the Minderoo Foundation.

Full media release here

Statement on Housing for Women’s Safety: Social housing cannot be overlooked during women’s safety summit

News No Comments

CHIA is pleased to be one of the 240+ signatories to the Statement on Housing for Women’s Safety, organised through Everybody’s Home. These organisations are concerned “about the continuing toll of violence against women, and lack of Government action to provide safe homes, so women and children can escape violence and rebuild their lives. Failing to include housing for women’s safety on the Agenda at the National Summit on Women’s Safety highlights the lack of focus on this critical issue. You simply can’t talk about women’s safety without talking about safe and affordable homes.”

For the full statement please click here 

Media Release: Social and affordable rental housing: time for all levels of government to invest in this transformational social infrastructure

Federal News No Comments

The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) applauds the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan’s break through call for all levels of government to invest in social and affordable rental housing. The Plan recognises that ‘well-maintained and designed social housing provides many community benefits, supporting individual and societal wellbeing and productivity, and reducing costs in health and justice services’ and recommends the design and implementation of programs to increase supply’.

“Infrastructure Australia is to be commended for the focus on social infrastructure in this plan. Too often Australian governments have viewed social and affordable rental housing investment solely as an impost and overlooked its positive impacts, not just for the individual who gets a home but for other service budgets.” said Wendy Hayhurst, CHIA’s CEO. “Only last week, for example the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) published research showing that helping ex-prisoners through social housing typically cuts re-offending and saves the tax payer thousands of dollars.”

Full media release here

 

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