Communities Plus briefing and Q&A with Minister Brad Hazzard - NCOSS

Many will be aware of the Communities Plus program recently announced by the NSW Government. The $22 billion redevelopment program of Land and Housing Corporation social housing sites throughout NSW plans to deliver 23,500 new and replacement social and affordable housing dwellings over the next 10 years. It is a partnership with government that looks to harness the expertise and capacity of the private and not-for-profit sectors to deliver integrated communities of new and more social, private and affordable housing.

NCOSS will host Social Housing Minister, Brad Hazzard at its offices on Thursday 1 September 2016, to give members an opportunity to hear directly from the Minister on the objectives and priorities of the Communities Plus program - including an update on the projects to date - and an opportunity to ask the Minister questions about the program.

The NSW Government has recently announced Communities Plus - a $22 billion redevelopment program of Land and Housing Corporation social housing sites throughout NSW.

Communities Plus program is a new approach to delivering integrated communities of private, social and affordable housing in partnership with non-government housing providers and private sector developers. Over the next 10 years, 23,000 new and replacement social housing dwellings will be delivered.

The key priority of Communities Plus is to deliver more social housing, but more importantly it will be at the forefront of encouraging people in social housing to be aspirational and not generational. This will be achieved through an innovative approach to mixing private and social housing with modern homes and the latest in place design. Combined with a strong focus on integration, this approach will promote successful community outcomes.
Communities Plus has hit the ground running with project and partnership opportunities having been announced for major redevelopment projects at Macquarie Park (Ivanhoe), Waterloo , Telopea and Riverwood which signal the size and scale of the redevelopment program.

“These major redevelopment programs will see new communities being established which replaces old, outdated social housing, with brand new homes and vibrant communities,” said Brad Hazzard, Minister for Social Housing.

“These communities need to be redeveloped if we are going to break the generational problem of long term social housing. These mixed communities will be built so social housing is not distinguishable from private housing. This, along with better support for our tenants is our aspiration for Communities Plus,” said Mr. Hazzard.

The major redevelopment projects are all in the early phase of resident, community and stakeholder engagement.

On another front, Communities Plus – Neighborhood Projects brings together small social housing sites as a package that is viable and suitable to small and medium sized non-government housing providers.

Communities Plus is a fundamental part of the NSW Government’s ‘Future Directions for Social Housing in NSW’ reform program. Communities Plus partnerships with non-government and private sector developers provide a sustainable business model that will deliver more social housing now and into the future.

“It’s essential we get this challenging and significant reform program right for the State of NSW. Whilst we’re pleased with the progress to date, there is still more to come,” said Mr. Hazzard