Affordable Housing Policy

At Council, we want residents to have access to safe, secure, affordable housing.

The Affordable Housing Policy will guide Council decisions relating to affordable housing in the shire. The policy sets out how Council will facilitate the provision of affordable housing through its role as advocate, decision-maker, facilitator and investor.

What is affordable housing?

Affordable Housing is a broad umbrella term. Affordable housing is different from market housing because it has an:

Eligibility requirement – households must be very low, low or moderate-income households. This means an annual income of up to approximately $45k for single person households or up to $96k for households with kids.
Allocation process – that makes sure that the housing goes to eligible households, and
Affordable rent setting mechanism or purchase price – generally no more than 30% of household income.

What can local governments do to facilitate affordable housing?

There is no set role for local government in relation to affordable housing. It is up to each council to determine the extent to which it wants to be involved. There are three ways that councils tend to be involved:

Advocacy, engagement, networks – working alongside housing and service providers to connect people to services and to advocate for funding and/or policy reform.
Land use planning – leveraging development or rezoning opportunities to secure an Affordable Housing contribution. Note this is a voluntary process and council cannot force a landowner to contribute, but Council can add supporting policy to the planning scheme.
Use of Council land – making Council land available for the development of affordable housing. Note that not all land is suitable for affordable housing – it should be close to services and amenities.

Who lives in affordable housing?

Households with incomes that are very low, low and moderate including:

Single people
Couples
Families with children
People experiencing family violence
People who are homeless
Essential workers.

Generally, households should meet the income and asset limits and residential requirements to be eligible for affordable housing. However, where a person and their household is experiencing family violence and need access to ongoing housing in order to be safe, they are also eligible.

Does council own affordable housing?

Council owns 49 seniors housing units in Gisborne, Romsey and Lancefield. This housing is a type of affordable housing that is allocated to people over the age of 55 who meet other eligibility requirements.