Social and Affordable housing partnership with Cardinia Shire Council

The availability of SAH has long been a critical issue in Australia. Recently both state and federal governments have made significant commitments to begin to address the crisis in SAH across the nation. As a rapidly growing municipality, Council has been aware of the challenges our residents face with housing stress for some time. Following extensive research and community consultation, Council adopted the Liveability Plan 2017-29, which included ‘Housing’ as a key domain and the strategic indictor to “increase access to appropriate and affordable housing”. Subsequently, Council adopted the Social and Affordable Housing Strategy and Action Plan 2018-25, which outlines how Council will work in partnership to achieve this objective.

By engaging with developers early in the planning process, SAH is secured ‘up front’ and is part of the overall design and consideration of developments. By connecting developers directly with the Community Housing Agencies, the process is simplified and streamlined, resulting in greater collaboration and connection. By integrating SAH at the start of developments, the perceptions of changes to neighbourhoods and other concerns within the community are reduced and the increase in supply can begin at the start of the development rather than ad hoc as development matures.

The ongoing relationships and discussions enable improvement in the locations and product that is secured as well as building the corporate social responsibility of the developers. Work is also ongoing to get SAH requirements into new PSPs rather than just aspirational targets to address this issue as planning for new areas begins.

The results of this project are:

Increased supply of SAH: Following adoption of the SAH Strategy in 2018, more than 137 new affordable dwellings have been committed to, with 22 negotiated with developers through S173 Agreements.
Increased community and Councillor awareness of SAH: The 2019 Liveability Survey found that only 4% of residents felt that social housing was ‘needed’ in the community, compared to 12% of residents in 2023. Results from the Household Liveability Survey between 2019 and 2023 have shown that while those who ‘oppose or strongly oppose’ social housing has remained steady, more people have shifted from a neutral position to ‘support or strongly support’. Councillor perceptions have also shifted significantly. Councillors now ask questions about how to facilitate more affordable housing and wanting to understand different housing models. Increasing homelessness and housing support services has been a key advocacy priority for Councillors during this term.
Strengthened partnerships between local CHAs and private developers: Due to the streamlined process and the connections with CHAs, the developers have found this a simple and straightforward process to navigate, resulting in some choosing to always provide these outcomes in their developments for the net benefit they provide. Developers are now more empowered to reach out directly to CHAs and manage the transfer of the lot or dwelling directly.
Strengthened internal partnership between Growth Area Planning and Health and Social Planning: This initiative has significantly increased the internal partnership between the two teams, with each gaining a deeper understanding of the others work.

Having SAH provided at the start of developments means that we are already catering for a known need and providing integrated solutions for future communities. Having developers as part of the solution provides ownership to an ongoing problem.