New affordable housing for workers in Sydney

More than 100 workers on lower incomes will get access to high-quality, affordable housing close to city jobs following the City of Sydney’s approval of a major new housing project.

Two new apartment blocks located just 4 kilometres south of the city centre at the fast growing Green Square precinct, will contain 104 units, all rented at below market rates.

“For many workers on lower incomes, the City of Sydney area is an increasingly difficult place to live and raise a family because of rapidly rising rents,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. “That’s why we have a target of making 7.5 percent of all new housing affordable housing. To help lower income workers live near their jobs, we have negotiated contributions from developers at Green Square that will meet most of the nearly AUD40 million (US$37.4 million) cost of this project.”

Key workers on lower wages, including teachers, labourers, cleaners, police officers and hospital staff, will be eligible to rent the new apartments, which will be built by affordable housing provider City West Housing with funds provided by developers building apartments and offices at Green Square.

“If people on low to moderate incomes can’t find reasonable affordable housing close to their jobs in the city, they’ll move further away to seek work nearer their new homes, and we’ll lose their valuable skills,” said Moore.

Families renting the City West apartments will be pay between 25 and 30 percent of their income on rent with the proportion increasing according to the household income. City West Housing is a not-for-profit company set up by the NSW Government in 1994 to provide quality, affordable accommodation for workers in the Sydney local government area.

“With 104 one, two and three bedroom apartments, this is our biggest ever project and we are very pleased with the quick Council approval which means we can get started without delay,” said Janelle Goulding, Chief Executive of City West Housing.

Sydney’s affordable housing levy programme in Green Square has seen more than 100 affordable rental housing units built in the area with a target of 330 affordable rental housing units in Green Square.

Green Square is one of the fastest growing parts of Sydney, and the City of Sydney has budgeted to spend AUD440 million (US$412 million) providing community services and infrastructure for more than 20,000 workers and 50,000 residents who will live in the area by 2030.