Australia's housing affordability crisis is severe and worsening. Median house prices in major cities now exceed 10x median household incomes. Rents have surged to record levels. Social housing waiting lists have hundreds of thousands of people waiting years for housing. Homelessness is rising. Housing insecurity affects health, education, employment, and family stability. Grant funding supports community housing, advocacy for policy reform, housing research, and the community organisations helping people navigate the housing crisis.
The crisis in numbers
Who is most affected
Why housing affordability matters for health and social outcomes
National Housing Supply and Affordability Council
Research and advice on housing supply and affordability.
Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF)
$10 billion fund for social and affordable housing — established 2023.
National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) — retired
Government incentive for affordable rental housing — now wound up.
Community Housing Providers
Registered community housing providers — not-for-profits managing social housing with government subsidies.
State housing authorities
National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness
Commonwealth-state funding for specialist homelessness services.
The Paul Ramsay Foundation
Ending cycles of disadvantage — housing as a pathway.
Nightingale Housing
Community housing advocacy and model development.
Social Ventures Australia
Housing-related social impact measurement.
UnitingCare
Community housing and affordable housing.
St Vincent de Paul Society
Housing advocacy and tenancy support.
Catholic Social Services
Housing and homelessness advocacy.
Various social enterprise housing developers
Community housing providers that blend philanthropy and commercial finance.
Research and evidence
Advocacy and policy reform
Community housing development
Affordable rental housing
Financial assistance for renters
Tenancy support
Home ownership pathways
Aboriginal housing
Older people and housing
Housing and disability
Climate-resilient housing
Community housing providers are central to addressing housing affordability:
- Not-for-profit, registered providers of social and affordable housing
- More flexible than government housing authorities
- Can combine government subsidies with philanthropic capital
- Manage properties long-term
- Provide tenancy support alongside housing
Grant funding supports community housing capacity, development, and innovation.
Systems change
Individual housing supports are essential but insufficient — the scale of the housing crisis requires systemic change (policy reform, increased supply, taxation reform). Applications that combine direct support with systemic advocacy are more ambitious and compelling.
Evidence and research
Housing policy is contested — strong evidence (from AHURI and other sources) is important for advocacy. Applications supporting rigorous research are foundational.
Community housing development
The community housing sector needs capital, not just grants. Applications that are structured as loans, guarantees, or patient capital may be more appropriate for housing development than pure grants.
Indigenous housing
Overcrowding in remote Indigenous communities is among the most severe housing challenges in Australia. Community-controlled housing development and management is the appropriate model.
Tahua's grants management platform supports housing funders and community housing organisations — with programme participant tracking, housing outcome measurement, tenancy support data, and the reporting tools that help housing funders demonstrate their investment in access to safe, affordable homes for all Australians.