Community Made
NSW State Election 2027 Priorities
Right now, housing affordability is the issue keeping people across NSW up at night. Rents and cost-of-living pressures keep climbing, social housing waitlists are at record highs, and home ownership is out of reach for a growing number of households.
The pressure is real, and it’s growing. But a clear solution is already here – and it’s working.
Across NSW, not-for-profit community housing providers are building and managing social and affordable rental homes that are here for the long term. The model works. What’s missing is the scale of investment to match the need.
With the State election ahead, there’s a clear window of opportunity to change that. This is the moment to put community housing at the heart of the election.
Priority 1: Invest in a $26 billion Community Housing Enabling Fund (CHEF) to deliver 50,000 community homes by 2050
The CHEF will create a permanent investment mechanism, providing long-term funding certainty to unlock the full capability of not-for-profit community housing providers (CHPs). It combines capital grants, zero interest loans and government land contributions, together with the cost saving benefits of CHPs. By enshrining the CHEF in legislation, CHPs can deliver the greatest savings to governments and maximise the benefits to NSW.
Priority 2: Create a $4 billion Better Social Homes Program to bring all social housing up to a modern standard by 2040
The Better Social Homes Program will fund and coordinate energy efficiency upgrades and critical maintenance for all homes in NSW’s social housing portfolio. By lifting all homes to a modern standard, social housing will be less costly to maintain, residents will spend less on energy bills, and more funding will be freed up for new housing and services.
Priority 3: Establish an indexed Housed and Healthy Fund of at least $200 million per annum, so more social housing residents can access critical support services
The Fund will enable social housing providers to commission tailored support for their residents, such as mental health outreach and life skills training. This helps residents to build stable lives, stay housed and break the cycle of homelessness.
Community Made is a collaboration led by Community Housing Industry Association NSW, in association with not-for-profit Community Housing Providers. This campaign is about celebrating the people who live in community housing. It brings together residents, providers and experts across NSW to call for urgent housing action.