Affordable Living Program

Council adopted an Affordable Housing Policy on 7 August 2007.  The purpose of this Policy is to assist people on low to moderate weekly incomes to live in affordable rental housing in the Canada Bay area.

Council aims to assist local residents and local employees on low to moderate weekly incomes to access affordable rental housing in the Canada Bay local government area by improving access to rental housing that is affordable for low to moderate households. The aim of this program is to assist low to moderate income households by providing rental housing security whilst enabling them to establish savings for the private rental market or home ownership.

A number of units will be available in the North Strathfield area. The units, which have been recently constructed, range in size from 1 bedroom to 2 or 3 bedrooms. Council has appointed St George Housing to manage the units and the selection of tenants who meet the prescribed eligibility criteria. This process is scheduled to commence in July 2009.

The projected rental costs for the residences are:

Size	Market Rent	Discount of 25%
1 Bedroom	$320 per week	$240 per week
2 Bedroom	$450 per week	$337 per week
3 Bedroom	$530 per week	$397 per week

Who is eligible under the program?

To be eligible for consideration under this program you must meet the following income and employment criteria and additional criteria:

Income

Your gross household income must sit between $39,551.00 - $86,799.00 for 2008 as the program is designed for households with low to moderate incomes. The Low criteria is between 50% - 80% of the Sydney median household income (gross) and Moderate is defined as between 80% - 120% of the Sydney median household income (gross).

Employment

You must be permanently employed and meeting the gross weekly income criteria as set out above and employed in the following employment sectors in the City of Canada Bay or surrounding regions:

• Health Services;
• Childcare;
• Public Primary or Secondary Education;
• Emergency Services;
• Public Transport; and
• City of Canada Bay Council Employee.

Additional Criteria

You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident who is not living in subsidised housing (NSW Department of Housing or Community Housing Managed Accommodation). You must also not own property or assets which could be used to assist their housing needs.

How do I apply?

If you would like to apply for a unit as part of this program, please complete the Application Form which can be downloaded below.

For more information

Contact St George Community Housing on 9585 1499 or www.sgch.com.au