Affordable housing is a broad term that refers to housing that’s suitable for very low, low, or moderate-income households, where housing costs (whether rent or mortgage) take up no more than 30% of household income. This can include public housing, community housing, shared housing models and lower-cost rentals or homes to buy.

Affordable housing is different from market housing, which is bought or rented at full market rates. It’s designed to make sure people on lower incomes can still live and work in our communities – including key workers like early childhood educators, health workers, hospitality and retail staff, and people in casual, part-time, or lower-paid jobs.

A wide range of people in our community may need access to affordable housing, including:

• Single people and couples
• Families with children
• Young people and early-career workers
• Older adults, especially those on fixed incomes
• People with disabilities or long-term health conditions
• People experiencing homelessness or family violence
• People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Essential workers who provide vital services to our community

Like most councils, we don’t necessarily build or manage affordable housing, but we do have an important role to play. Councils can:

• Advocate for funding and policy reform with other levels of government
• Plan for housing through the local planning scheme, including policies that support affordable housing contributions in developments (note: this is a voluntary process)
• Facilitate and partner with housing providers and developers, including making Council land available for social housing in some cases

We’re reviewing our Affordable Housing Policy to guide our work over the coming years. This process will help us:

• Understand local housing needs and priorities
• Explore ways Council can better support affordable housing
• Identify opportunities for partnerships, advocacy, planning tools and use of Council land

Your feedback will help us get it right.