Housing leaders, policymakers, co-operative housing providers, mutual banks and international experts gathered in Sydney last week for the ACHA Co-operative Housing Summit.
Hosted by the Australian Co-operative Housing Alliance (ACHA), the summit took place at a time when one-third of Australian households rent and rental affordability continues to decline. ACHA says interest is growing in new approaches to improving housing affordability and security for renters.
The event explored how co-operative housing models can contribute to addressing Australia’s housing challenges by providing affordable rents, strong communities and greater housing security.
“Australia needs more housing,” said ACHA chair Liz Thomas, “but it also needs security of tenure for renters, and new housing models that offer affordable rent, build community and give renters a voice in how their housing is managed.”
The national Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) contributed to discussions on the role co-operatives and mutuals can play in expanding affordable housing options through innovative financing and ownership models, and shared its overview of the event online.
BCCM CEO Melina Morrison joined summit discussions examining how co-operative housing organisations and mutual banks can work together to support new housing solutions.
“There is a real opportunity for rental housing co-ops to move from the margins to the mainstream,” she said. “The BCCM and its members – including co-op housing developers and mutual banks – have formed the Housing Activation Network (HAN) to develop a limited equity model for housing, and we are hoping to announce a pilot project in the very near future.”
The Housing Activation Network was set up to bring together expertise from across the co-operative housing and mutual banking sectors to explore practical pathways for increasing affordable housing supply and housing security.
A key theme of the summit was learning from successful international models. Tim Ross, CEO of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, shared insights into Canada’s experience of scaling co-operative housing and the policy settings that have supported sector growth.
The Canadian experience continues to attract attention internationally, says ACHA. During the week of the summit, Canada’s federal housing minister announced the launch of the Canada Rental Protection Fund, a new initiative intended to support the acquisition and preservation of rental housing through community and co-operative housing organisations.
For Australia, developments such as these highlight growing international recognition that community-led and co-operative housing models can play an important role alongside government and private sector initiatives in addressing housing affordability challenges.
The summit provided an opportunity to consider how successful international approaches could be adapted to the Australian context and how partnerships between co-operative housing providers, mutual banks, government and community organisations can help deliver new housing options.
With housing affordability and rental security continuing to dominate public policy discussion, the co-operative housing sector is making the case that long-term renters should not become the forgotten people of Australia’s housing debate.
