The revenue generated from operating social and affordable housing in Australia is insufficient to finance new social and affordable homes. As a consequence, the provision of social and affordable housing is dependent on government subsidy, internal resources or philanthropic grant funding to become financially viable.

Social and affordable rental housing does, however, provide a series of wider social and economic benefits (WSEB) that generate cost savings across public and private sectors.

SIGMAH has been developed by Swinburne University of Technology, Australian Social Value Bank and Simetrica- Jacobs The project has been led and managed by CHIA, with assistance from Shelter NSW.

SIGMAH is a tool that enables social and affordable housing project proposals to estimate these project-specific, wider social and economic benefits, and in turn strengthen the business case for new developments.

It will provide comprehensive economic justifications for the use of external resources that would assist new supply, arguments that more accurately reflect the social outcomes that occur through the provision of social and affordable housing.