Eurobodalla Housing Strategy

Project: Council is developing a Housing Strategy to meet demand for new homes. It will encourage greater housing diversity and affordability over the next 20 years.

Timeframe: October 2022 to mid 2024

Status: In progress

Cost and funding: $55,000

Page last updated: September 2024

Latest news: July 2024

The draft Housing Strategy was on public exhibition for community feedback from Wednesday 29 May to Wednesday 10 July 2024. All submissions will be considered at a future Council meeting before the Strategy is adopted.

The draft documents that were on public exhibition are still available to view:

Project details

We are working to:

  • deliver a draft Housing Strategy
  • identify the demand for new and different housing types over the next 20 years
  • identify actions to provide the right housing to meet this demand by analysing:
    • the capacity of existing residential land to provide homes
    • the types and sizes of homes needed
    • the best location for new homes

Benefits to the community:

A Housing Strategy would help Council undertake actions that would lead to:

  • people aging within their community by having options to move into a smaller home. This also makes larger homes available for larger households
  • more smaller homes closer to existing services and shops - this makes our towns more walkable
  • working-aged people staying in or moving to Eurobodalla
  • more affordable rent and house prices by providing greater housing diversity
  • more social and affordable housing options
  • building new homes that meet the future demand for smaller houses
  • less homelessness
  • a more diverse, vibrant and resilient community and a stronger local economy.

Background and purpose

Council has committed to improving housing in Eurobodalla.

  • A Housing Strategy will help Council meet the action in the Local Strategic Planning Statement to encourage greater housing diversity and affordability.
  • Council’s Community Strategic Plan includes working in partnership to encourage and facilitate greater housing diversity and affordability.
  • Council’s Delivery Program and Operational Plan includes an action to develop a housing strategy with a focus on addressing affordability.
  • Council is advocating for the NSW government to improve housing supply, diversity and affordability.

Affordable housing and financial housing stress

The simplest measure of housing affordability compares housing costs to gross household income. Generally:

  • Housing is considered "affordable" if housing costs are not more than 30% of the household’s income.
  • If a low-to-moderate income household spends more than 30% of the household income on housing, they are considered to be in financial housing stress.

Social housing

Social housing is government-subsidised short and long-term rental housing. Social housing is usually for people or households:

  • on low incomes
  • who have experienced homelessness or are at risk of homelessness
  • experiencing family violence
  • with other special housing needs.

Affordable rental housing

Affordable rental housing is government-subsidised rental housing offered below market price.

Affordable rental housing is usually targeted to households on low-to-moderate incomes. It is open to a broader range of household incomes than social housing. This means you can earn more income and still be eligible for affordable rental housing.

  • In NSW, affordable rental housing is usually managed by non-profits or private organisations.
  • Rent is priced to be affordable to the household (eg, not more than 30% of the household income).

Complexity and contributing factors

Providing enough homes of the right size and style in the right location is complex.

  • The Eurobodalla Shire needs more homes to house the growing population and improve the supply of homes in the market.
  • Most existing homes here are three or more-bedroom houses with one or two people living in them.
  • We need more homes with one or two bedrooms to cater for the growth in smaller households.
  • The cost of homes to buy or rent in Eurobodalla has increased significantly in recent years.
  • There are not enough homes to rent or buy, and even fewer that are affordable for existing residents.

Lack of supply and affordability puts pressure on the most vulnerable members of our community. Eurobodalla's homelessness services provide local support, but all levels of government need to work together to address the housing crisis.

Other factors that add to the complexity of housing include:

  • large infrastructure projects requiring housing for workers
  • constraints such as flooding, vegetation and bushfire prone land
  • linking with services like transport, sewer and water
  • employment opportunities.

The Housing Strategy will identify actions Council can take to improve housing. This includes key advocacy issues the NSW and Australian governments should address.

Advocacy

Council is advocating for the NSW government to improve housing supply, diversity and affordability.

In mid-2021, Council made a submission to the NSW Government’s Regional Housing Taskforce consultation.

Housing Strategy documents

Project updates

August 2024 

  • Once the elections and appointment of the in coming Council has been resolved, all submissions received from the public exhibition period will be considered at a future Council meeting.

July 2024

  • The draft Housing Strategy was on public exhibition for community feedback from Wednesday 29 May to 10 July 2024.
  • We received over 100 submissions, these will be considered by Council before the strategy is adopted.

May 2024

  • At the ordinary Council meeting on Tuesday 21 May 2024, Council endorsed the public exhibition of a draft strategy.
  • We publicly exhibited the draft Housing Strategy for community members to read and provide feedback from Wednesday 29 May to Wednesday 10 July 2024.

January - April 2024

  • We are preparing a draft strategy using research, information we received from agencies, and feedback we received from community members via the survey.
  • Preparing the strategy took longer than we originally expected due to necessary background consultant reports being delivered in November and December 2023.
  • We will publicly exhibit a draft for community feedback before a strategy is adopted by Council.

July 2023

  • A long list of possible actions emerged following stakeholder engagement and feedback from the community.
  • We are now reviewing and checking in with key stakeholders to choose the actions most applicable for our local situation and opportunities.
  • We are aiming to have a draft local housing strategy available for community feedback before the end of the year.

December 2022

  • We asked community members to complete a short survey to tell us what they'd like to see in a local housing strategy. The survey is now closed and we will use the responses to help guide this project forward.

November 2022

  • We have begun investigating housing supply and needs using census data and talking to housing and service providers and NSW Government agencies.

More information

You can sign up to receive updates throughout the project:

For more information please contact Council's Acting Divisional Manager Strategic, Mr Vivian Straw: