Northern Territory’s first major Community Housing Growth Strategy launched

NT Government

More than 2000 public housing properties will be transferred to Community Housing Providers (CHPs) as part of an innovative multi-million dollar community housing strategy launched today.

Five hundred homes across Darwin and Palmerston will be transferred imminently, with an EOI released today. An additional 500 dwellings – 250 in both Alice Springs and Greater Darwin – will be transferred during the next financial year.

About 1000 homes across the Territory are already managed by CHPs, delivering social and affordable housing through the non-government sector and creating opportunities to unlock access to additional resources and investment. Multiple smaller and medium sized transfers of housing to the community housing sector will occur across the life of the Strategy.

The Northern Territory Community Housing Growth Strategy 2022-32 comes with an initial investment of $22.3 million to fund initiatives, investments and works, including redevelopment opportunities and managing the construction of additional social and affordable housing homes across the Territory.

This includes $9 million from budget 2022-23 and $13.3 million rolling out from current funding.

The funding will also go towards the design and development of a remote community housing model trial in four regional and remote communities that will be undertaken in close partnership with Aboriginal-controlled organisations as well as community members.

The work will capitalise and build on initiatives already being progressed by the Territory Labor Government in partnership with the sector including:

an EOI for the long-term asset and tenancy management of the John Stokes Square Residential Precinct;a market sounding exercise to gauge the sector’s appetite and capacity for the redevelopment of the large Shiers Street complex, the Narrows;transferring vacant blocks of land to CHPs for redevelopment opportunities;funding Aboriginal Housing NT (AHNT) to establish itself as the peak housing body supporting Aboriginal organisations to become CHPs;funding NT Shelter and AHNT to complete a sector-led industry development plan;partnering with Venture Housing to supply 41 affordable homes across the Territory and establish a rental subsidy scheme for key workers;awarding the management of 57 affordable housing homes to Community Housing Central Australia;transferring 12 dwellings at Runge Street Coconut Grove to Team Health, a registered CHP;working closely with the Territory’s 11 registered CHPs, seven of which were registered in the past year to plan for sector growth; anddelivering Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) through the release of land grants for 11 parcels that will accommodate more than 33 SDA participants across greater Darwin and Alice Springs.

The strategy emphasises the importance of growing the community housing sector, and sets out actions to grow the sector and attract non-government investment to more effectively meet the growing demand for social and affordable housing across the Northern Territory.

To view the Community Housing Strategy 2022-2032 visit here.

To view the EOI for transfer of 500 dwelling to the community housing sector visit here.

Quotes from Minister for Territory Families and Urban Housing, Kate Worden:

“The Territory Labor Government is reforming the outdated public housing system, and this strategy is the start of a new beginning that will guide us over the next decade.

“Finding new and innovative ways to revamp our public housing model that supports jobs, tenants and local communities is a win for the Territory.

“We are imagining a new beginning for social housing, one which follows through on our vision to create a contemporary and sophisticated social and affordable housing system.

“We have been working very hard behind this scenes to progress the first large scale public housing transfer to the sector, with the EOI to be released today.

Quotes from Executive Officer NT Shelter Peter McMillan:

“This announcement opens the door to a smarter way of delivering social housing in the Northern Territory, providing an important pathway to better housing outcomes and, over time, more housing.

“By building a stronger community housing sector in the Northern Territory, opportunities now arise to transition to a social housing model that is fit for purpose, already proven across Australia, and is well placed to provide better outcomes for both Government, tenants and those in the queue for housing.”

/Public Release. View in full here.