Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust
To deliver one of the key objectives of the Affordable Housing Statement at its June 2020 Ordinary Council Meeting, Council endorsed Housing Choices Australia Limited as Trustee of the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust.
The Trust supports negotiations, planning mechanisms and controls for the delivery of affordable housing and supports the Council’s Housing Policy Statement commitment to ensure all households in Hobsons Bay are able to live in affordable, secure and appropriate housing that meets their needs, particularly those with low and moderate incomes.
The Affordable Housing Trust aims to:
- acquire existing buildings and dwellings in Hobsons Bay for affordable housing
- acquire land in Hobsons Bay and construct affordable housing on it
- make affordable housing available to eligible residents, having regard to the affordable housing policies of Council, the state government and funding bodies
- develop innovative housing options which offer new and improved choices for eligible residents
- solicit donations, gifts, bequests, government grants, philanthropic grants and other forms of financial assistance to or for the Trust Purposes.
For developers, the trust:
- provides a method to collect, hold and manage assets in the form of dwellings, land, or cash
- enables contributions to benefit eligible residents on low incomes
- is independent from Council as it is managed by Housing Choices Australia as per the Trust Deed
- ·offers simplicity as finding a Housing Association or Housing Provider to purchase these dwellings can often be difficult
- ensures the value of affordable housing will be retained within the municipality in perpetuity to continue to provide affordable housing for Hobsons Bay residents into the future
- centralises the administration required to deliver affordable housing
For more information on the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust, please contact the Social and Strategic Planning team on 1300 179 944 or at socialplanning@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au