Wollongong City Council will split a $10.4 million grant between two schemes to try and get low and moderate income earners under a roof.
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Half of a federal government grant will be distributed to not-for-profit organisations with proven expertise of providing housing services.
Organisations will submit an expression of interest for the funding which will detail their affordable housing projects.
Council will use the other half to create an affordable home-ownership scheme for low to moderate income earners. The details of the model will be worked out over coming months.
Both schemes will see the delivery of homes in the Wollongong area.
Cr David Brown said, at the council meeting on Monday night, that both options should be innovative, have the potential to be continued and expanded beyond the grant funding, and target single women aged over 50.
He said he was excited to hear from organisations.
“Tell us what you have got,” he said. “Nothing is off the table. I am pretty sure we will get some high quality proposals that will address what we know is a social housing need in the city.”
The council’s home-ownership scheme would see houses built on council-owned land in West Dapto.
“Let’s combine the rest of our money with our land holdings to get some bang for our buck and more importantly let’s live up to our name as a city of innovation,” he said.
“Let’s explore alternative home ownership models to create affordable, high quality and sustainable housing.
“We can harness the knowledge and talents of our staff and the community to do something a bit different and exciting.
“If we put our city’s creative [talents] into this, maybe we can come up with something that is known as the ‘Wollongong Model’. Let’s aim for something big.”
Cr Brown would like council staff to explore joint ownership and rent-to-buy options as potential home ownership models.
He wants to see schemes that are innovative and houses that are energy efficient and sustainable.
The University of Wollongong will be approached as a potential partner to develop the design of energy efficient and sustainable housing.
Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said he was pleased the council had made steps forward in using the grant money. He said the basis for the schemes needed to start with the idea that “housing is a right”.
Council staff will prepare the details of both schemes and an update will be provided to councillors before August 2019.
Councillors will have a final say on the adoption of the schemes at a future council meeting.
