NAH is a not-for-profit social value enterprise established in 2008 through the increasing need for more affordable housing options in Australia.

Its goal is to increase affordable housing supply to meet community needs, acting as a catalyst for innovation in the provision of affordable housing and integrated communities while achieving a balance in commercial, social and environmental outcomes.

As a Tier 1 community housing provider and one of the leading providers of National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) funded affordable housing in Australia, NAH is the lead entity in the Victorian Affordable Rentals Consortium (VARC), partnering with other entities and Homes Victoria to manage an initial 765 new affordable homes across Victoria.

Homes are targeted at low-to-moderate income earners unable to find secure, affordable and appropriate housing in the private rental market.

Homes Victoria Affordable provides the residences at a discount of 10 per cent to 20 per cent on Melbourne market rents, with the additional protection of a rent cap set at 30 per cent of median income.

NAH’s experience to date has seen diverse households, many in part-time or casual work, sometimes combined with study, able to obtain affordable rental in a new well-located home.

Recent affordable housing initiatives announced by the Federal and State governments will result in Victoria delivering the following social and affordable homes over five years from June 2024:

• 5,000 social and 2,500 affordable homes through the Housing Australia Future Fund
• 5,000 affordable Victorian homes through the National Housing Accord
• 1,000 new social housing dwellings through the Housing Accelerator Fund over two years to June 2025.

This is a substantial funding pipeline that will deliver 6,000 social and 7,500 affordable Victorian homes in six years.

Benefits for business and individuals

NAH can partner with institutional investors and employers in locations where employers are having difficulty attracting staff due to lack of affordable housing convenient to their place of work.

Members with an interest in nominating designated dwellings can enquire with NAH.

Nomination rights would not require employers to invest in the housing but guarantee to underwrite the rentals in the designated properties in the event of vacancies, in return for those properties being dedicated to housing their employees. This helps de-risk developments because a percentage of rental returns are guaranteed.

Managing Director of National Affordable Housing Victoria Mike Myers says: “By supporting affordable housing, employers are able to attract and retain key workers who want to work for the business but find it impossible to obtain affordable housing nearby.

“The absence of affordable housing, high rents or very long commutes often lead to a shortage of needed workers in parts of regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne. This is a real cost to business and hampers the capacity of companies to grow.”

For more information and expressions of interest, visit: https://www.nahc.org.au/pages/contact