Housing Plus will build and provide 60 new affordable homes across Bathurst, Cowra, Lithgow, Parkes, Mudgee and Dubbo in the coming years after being awarded a further contract with the NSW Government.
These 60 new dwellings will be in addition to the 220 affordable homes that Housing Plus is currently delivering across the Central West NSW since February 2019. Over the last 18 months Housing Plus have built and tenanted 93 homes in Dubbo, Bathurst and Orange, providing much needed high-quality well-located, energy efficient homes for families while creating jobs in regional NSW. It is on track to complete the remaining 127 by 2021.
“We are delighted to secure this additional investment in the Central West and provide more affordable housing and jobs at this time. The difference that having a home can make to families is enormous.”
Housing Plus CEO David Fisher
There is an acute shortage of affordable housing across the region. Recent research by UNSW has estimated that some 5,500 new properties are needed across the Central West to meet the expected growth in population. The 2018 Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare Australia reports that less than 5% of available houses were affordable and appropriate for a couple with no children receiving the age pension. Only 1% of properties are affordable for a single person on an aged pension.
The 60 new properties will be a mix of 4, 3, 2 and 1-bedroom homes and designed to meet the silver Liveable Housing Design Guidelines that meet the needs of older people and people with a disability.
The new homes have been designed to achieve 7.5-star NatHERS energy efficiency rating to help tenants keep their energy bills low, as well as being good for the environment. In addition, these homes will also have solar photovoltaic panels, and split systems installed, which will further reduce the running costs for these homes making them more affordable in the long term for our tenants.
As well as providing families with, affordable housing, Housing Plus will link tenants and household members with local services to help them work towards greater independence. There is a focus on supporting vulnerable older women.
“Housing Plus has been delivering new housing since 2019 and are currently ahead of schedule. These additional dwellings will be added to our existing program and delivered in 2021/22. Funding for the construction is being provided by new private borrowings that Housing Plus will undertake. An extension of $20.5 million on the existing $95 million facility with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation will allow Housing Plus to build the additional 60 homes to make a total of 280 new affordable homes to rent in the Central West by 2022.” says David Fisher, CEO Housing Plus.
CEFC CEO Ian Learmonth said: “The CEFC is delighted to strengthen our support for Housing Plus to enable it to continue its work delivering affordable housing across Central West NSW.
“Cleaner, greener homes produce fewer emissions, and they also cost less to heat and cool, meaning we can extend the economic benefits of clean energy technologies to tenants of affordable housing.”
CEFC CEO Ian Learmonth
