Glossary of terms

Affordable Housing: Is for low-to-moderate income households and is priced so that residents can meet their other basic living costs such as food, clothing, transport, medical care, and education. Affordable housing residents pay between 75-80% of market rent or rent is capped at 30% of household income.

Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA): CRA is a rent

supplement provided by the Commonwealth Government and paid to people on Centrelink payments to meet the cost of renting in the private market.

Communities Plus: Is a NSW government initiative to seek private, community housing and non-government sector involvement in partnerships to redevelop Land and Housing

Corporation (LAHC) sites in NSW and design, fund and build affordable, social, and private housing.

Community Housing: Is secure, affordable rental housing for people on very low to moderate income. This housing is managed by Community Housing Providers (CHPs) who manage properties they own or may be owned by the government.

Community Housing Innovation Fund (CHIF): NSW

Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) is providing $150M funding to expand social housing capacity by supporting the growth of Community Housing Providers — owned portfolios. The CHIF is a co-contribution model which leverages government grants with additional resources from community housing providers (such as debt, capital, land, tax concessions and community connections).

Community Housing Leasing Program (CHLP): This innovative initiatives from NSW Department of Communities and

Justice and provides funding to Community Housing

Providers (CHPs) who lease properties in the private rental market which are then used to provide social housing.

Leasing, rather than purchasing, properties allows increased flexibility to accommodate people in housing that suits their needs.

Homelessness: The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines

homelessness as being when a person’s current living arrangement is in a dwelling that is inadequate; has no tenure, or if their initial tenure is short and not extendable;

or does not allow them to have control of, and access to

space for social relations.

Housing First: The Housing First model focuses on providing safe and permanent housing as the first priority for people experiencing homelessness and should not be conditional on the individual’s engagement in addressing health or well-being issues. Once housing is secured, individuals can have access to support services to help to avoid homelessness.

GLOSSARY

Housing stress: A household is experiencing housing stress when it has an income level in the bottom 40% of Australia’s

income distribution and is spending more than 30% of its income on mortgage or rental payments.

Key Worker Housing: Is housing provided at below market rent to eligible applicants who are employed in essential services such as aged care, health care, education, emergency services, childcare and law enforcement. Key worker tenants pay only 80% of market rent, giving them the chance to live near their workplaces in a high-quality property without falling into financial stress.

Maintenance Advisory Group (MAG): Is a forum for tenants to provide feedback and suggestions on how Evolve Housing

can improve maintenance services.

National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA):

This is an agreement between the Commonwealth

Government (which provides funding to housing support and homelessness services) and the state and territory government (which make decisions about social and community housing) to ensure that all Australians have access to affordable, safe, and sustainable housing.

National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation

(NHFIC): Is an independent Commonwealth entity to provide low-cost, long-term financing to community housing providers to assist them to undertake large scale investment into social affordable housing assets.

National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS): The Scheme was an Australian Government initiative to provide an annual incentive over a 10-year period to housing providers to stimulate the supply of new affordable rental dwellings priced at least 20% below private market rental rates. Personal Support Plan: At Evolve Housing, every new social housing resident is offered a needs assessment with a Specialist Support Worker when they sign their tenancy agreement. A Personal Support Plan is then drawn up which addresses personal health, wellbeing, education, training and employment needs, and includes referrals to external support partners if required.

Resident Advisory Group: A forum that offers residents the opportunity to provide their feedback to Evolve Housing on important matters including our policies, procedures, events and programs. The group comprises 15 volunteer members from different housing blocks and Local Government Areas who provide a voice for residents.

Social Housing: Is secure, subsidised housing for people on low-to-very-low incomes who need accommodation.

Social housing can be provided by the Land and Housing

Corporation, the Department of Communities and Justice, or non-government community housing providers like

Evolve Housing. Most social housing tenants pay rent which is around 25% of their income.

Supported Housing: Is a three-way partnership between

Evolve Housing, Support Providers and the clients of the Support Providers. Evolve Housing offers the housing for clients on a short-term to medium-term basis while

the agency working with the client provides for their support needs.