We work in partnership with the not-for-profit community housing sector to provide affordable housing for Victorians on low incomes.
The main housing providers in the community housing sector are:
- Registered housing associations – who develop, own and manage rental housing properties
- Registered housing providers – who primarily manage rental housing that is owned by other organisations.
As at 1 January 2017, there were 40 registered agencies in Victoria consisting of nine housing associations and 31 housing providers.
Housing associations
Housing associations are generally the larger not-for-profit organisations that develop, own and manage rental housing for lower income Victorians. As they own property, they are able to borrow against these assets, which allows for investment in new developments and partnerships.
Almost 9,000 properties are owned or leased by housing associations in a range of locations throughout Victoria. The majority of this housing is long-term accommodation for families and individuals who are not able to afford or access the private rental market.
Housing association properties can include stand-alone dwellings, rooming houses, medium and high-density developments or special accommodation with on-site support.
Housing associations also provide transitional and crisis accommodation.
Housing providers
Housing providers do not own their properties. They primarily manage rental properties while providing other support services including:
- Short-term crisis support housing
- Housing information and referral services for people who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness
- Outreach programs and support for people with complex needs and long histories of homelessness
- Support and advocacy for people living in public and community housing, to help them successfully establish and sustain their tenancies
- Housing cooperatives:
- Common Equity Rental Cooperatives
- Rental Housing Cooperatives.
The Housing Registrar registers and regulates rental housing agencies in Victoria. For a list of registered housing agencies or for more information see the Housing Registrar website.
Allocation of housing
We have established policies to ensure that government funds provided to registered agencies are targeted to those most in need. Compliance with these policies is a condition of capital grant funding or stock transfer.
Registered housing agencies are expected to take up to 50 per cent of new tenants for government funded properties from the public housing waiting list.