Government led innovations in affordable housing delivery

102 Pages·2017·5.98 MB·English

PEER
REVIEWED
Government led innovations in
affordable housing delivery
Inquiry into increasing affordable housing supply: evidence-
based principles and strategies for Australian policy and practice
FOR THE AUTHORED BY
Australian Housing Steven Rowley Ryan van den Nouwelant
and Urban Research Institute Curtin University The University of New South
Wales
Amity James
PUBLICATION DATE Curtin University Laurence Troy
The University of New South
October 2017 Peter Phibbs
Wales
The University of Sydney
DOI
10.18408/ahuri-8113101
Title Government led innovations in affordable housing delivery
Steven Rowley Curtin University
Amity James Curtin University
Peter Phibbs The University of Sydney
Ryan van den Nouwelant The University of New South Wales
Laurence Troy The University of New South Wales
ISBN 978-1-925334-53-1
Affordability, community housing, development, institutional, leadership, public
Key words
private partnership, social housing, stock transfer
Series AHURI Final Report Number 289 ISSN 1834-7223
Publisher Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited
Melbourne, Australia
DOI 10.18408/ahuri-8113101
Format PDF, online only
URL http://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/289
Recommended citation
Rowley, S., James, A., Phibbs, P., Nouwelant, R. and Troy, L. (2017) Government led
innovations in affordable housing delivery, AHURI Final Report No. 289, Australian
Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited, Melbourne,
http://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/289, doi: 10.18408/ahuri-8113101.
Related reports and documents
Inquiry into increasing affordable housing supply: evidence-based principles and strategies for
Australian policy and practice
https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/research-in-progress/inquiry-73130.
AHURI report 289 i
Inquiry panel members
Each AHURI Inquiry is supported by a panel of experts drawn from the research, policy and
practice communities.
The Inquiry Panel are to provide guidance on ways to maximize the policy relevance of the
research and draw together the research findings to address the key policy implications of the
research. Panel members for this Inquiry:
Janet Chappell Urban Growth NSW
Caryn Kakas Department of Family and Community Services, NSW
Government
Scott Langford SGCH Group
Paul McBride Department of Social Services, Australian Government
Marion Thompson Departments of Planning and Housing, WA Government
David Tow Urban Growth NSW
Julian Wright Housing Authority, WA Government
James Yuen Office of Land and Housing Supply, WA Government
AHURI report 289 ii
AHURI
AHURI is a national independent research network with an expert not-for-profit research
management company, AHURI Limited, at its centre.
AHURI’s mission is to deliver high quality research that influences policy development and
practice change to improve the housing and urban environments of all Australians.
Using high quality, independent evidence and through active, managed engagement, AHURI
works to inform the policies and practices of governments and the housing and urban
development industries, and stimulate debate in the broader Australian community.
AHURI undertakes evidence-based policy development on a range of priority policy topics that
are of interest to our audience groups, including housing and labour markets, urban growth and
renewal, planning and infrastructure development, housing supply and affordability,
homelessness, economic productivity, and social cohesion and wellbeing.
Acknowledgements
This material was produced with funding from the Australian Government and state and territory
governments. AHURI Limited gratefully acknowledges the financial and other support it has
received from these governments, without which this work would not have been possible.
AHURI Limited also gratefully acknowledges the contributions, both financial and
in-kind, of its university research partners who have helped make the completion of this material
possible.
Disclaimer
The opinions in this report reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of
AHURI Limited, its Board, its funding organisations or Inquiry panel members. No responsibility
is accepted by AHURI Limited, its Board or funders for the accuracy or omission of any
statement, opinion, advice or information in this publication.
AHURI journal
AHURI Final Report journal series is a refereed series presenting the results of original research
to a diverse readership of policy-makers, researchers and practitioners.
Peer review statement
An objective assessment of reports published in the AHURI journal series by carefully selected
experts in the field ensures that material published is of the highest quality. The AHURI journal
series employs a double-blind peer review of the full report, where anonymity is strictly observed
between authors and referees.
Copyright
© Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited 2017
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
License, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
AHURI report 289 iii
Contents
List of tables vii
List of figures viii
Acronyms and abbreviations used in this report ix
Executive summary 1
Introduction 7
1.1 The purpose of the study 7
1.2 Defining affordable housing and the housing affordability problem 8
1.3 Research approach 10
1.4 Research methodology 10
Supplying affordable housing—government-led initiatives 15
2.1 Federal Government supply of affordable housing 15
2.2 State supply of affordable housing 17
2.3 Delivering innovations 21
Case study 1: Western Australia 24
3.1 Introduction 24
3.2 Context 25
3.3 Mechanisms 29
AHURI report 289 iv
3.4 Outcomes 33
3.5 Government partnerships and innovation 35
3.6 Lessons learnt and potential for replication 40
3.7 Case study 1A: East Kimberley Transitional Housing Program (WA) 41
Case study 2: Affordable Housing Action Plan (ACT) 45
4.1 Introduction 45
4.2 Context 46
4.3 Mechanisms 53
4.4 Outcomes 54
4.5 Government partnerships and innovations 57
4.6 Lessons learnt and potential for replication 58
Case Study 3: Community housing asset vesting program (NSW) 60
5.1 Introduction 60
5.2 Context 61
5.3 Mechanisms 63
AHURI report 289 v
5.4 Outcomes 66
5.5 Government partnerships and innovations 71
5.6 Lessons learnt and potential for replication 71
Policy development options 73
6.1 Government affordable housing delivery 73
6.2 Government partnerships with the private and not-for profit sectors 74
6.3 What can we learn from the case studies? 76
6.4 The ingredients for a successful government-led strategy 79
References 80
Appendix 1: Programs under the Affordable Housing Strategy and funding
sources 86
Appendix 2: Outcomes of Affordable Housing Strategy 2010–20: Opening
Doors 88

AHURI report 289 vi
List of tables
Table 1: Established state-level affordable housing delivery schemes 2
Table 2: The Context-Mechanism-Outcome theory program assessment matrix 12
Table 3: Interviews 14
Table 4: Examples of government-led affordable housing delivery 22
Table 5: Departmental structure 2007–15 30
Table 6: Key players in the formation of the Opening doors to affordable housing
strategy 31
Table 7: New targets, Affordable Housing Strategy 2010–20: Aiming higher 34
Table 8: Examples of Housing Authority joint ventures 38
Table 9: East Kimberly outcomes 44
Table 10: Key elements of the Affordable Housing Action Plan (including outcomes) 48
Table 11: The role of the key departments/agencies in the AHAP 51
Table 12: Key mechanisms and outcomes—government-led innovations in affordable
housing delivery 74

Table A 1: Programs under the Affordable Housing Strategy and funding sources 86
Table A 2: Outcomes of Affordable Housing Strategy 2010–20: Opening Doors 88

AHURI report 289 vii
List of figures
Figure 1: Evaluating affordable housing supply (adapted from Milligan et al. 2007) 11
Figure 2: Methodology for evaluating government-led innovations to increase supply of
affordable housing 12
Figure 3: The 'growth' of public and social housing 17
Figure 4: Strategy at a glance 27
Figure 5: The affordable housing continuum 27
Figure 6: An Own Place Development 50
Figure 7: Land supply outcomes 56

AHURI report 289 viii
Acronyms and abbreviations used in this report
ACT Australian Capital Territory
ACTPLA ACT Planning and Land Authority
AHAP Affordable Housing Action Plan (ACT)
AHURI Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited
AVP Asset Vesting Program (NSW)
BHF Better Housing Futures program (Tas)
BPSC Better Places Stronger Communities program (SA)
C-M-O Context-Mechanism-Outcome
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CHC Community Housing Canberra
CHL Community Housing Limited
CHP Community Housing Providers
COAG Council of Australian Governments
CRA Commonwealth Rent Assistance
GFC Global financial crisis
GROH Government Regional Officers’ Housing (WA)
LAHC (NSW) Land and Housing Corporation (NSW)
LDA Land Development Agency (ACT)
LRI Logan Renewal Initiative (Qld)
LRS Land Rent Scheme (ACT)
NAHA National Affordable Housing Agreement
NFP Not-for-profit
NHHA National Housing and Homeless Agreement
NRAS National Rental Affordability Scheme
NSW New South Wales
SHI Social Housing Initiative
VHC Venture Housing Company
WA Western Australia
AHURI report 289 ix