Communities Plus Program

Mixed communities – the future for social housing

Pacific Link Housing completed the very first Communities Plus Project in NSW in December 2019. Communities Plus is a key initiative of the NSW Government to grow the social housing portfolio by redeveloping appropriate sites owned by the Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC). The aim of Communities Plus is to:

• Deliver more housing and a better social housing experience, with more opportunities and incentives to avoid or move beyond social housing.
• Develop new mixed communities where social housing blends in with private and affordable housing, with better access to transport and employment, improved community facilities and open spaces.
• Partner with the private and not for profit sectors to fast track the redevelopment of identified sites in metropolitan Sydney and regional NSW.

PACIFIC GATEWAY – GLENDALE

The ‘Pacific Gateway’ development in The Lake Macquarie LGA is aligned with the Communities Plus model. The purposeful integration of private, social and affordable housing is vital to strengthen community cohesion and remove some of the assumptions relating to different tenancy types in our society.

A collaborative partnership with LAHC enabled the transformation of three end of life social housing properties into 21 modern, fit-for-purpose dwellings. It has created an impressive and socially inclusive community, providing much needed accommodation for vulnerable members of the local community.

Pacific Gateway includes six social housing units which are provided to those on the public housing waiting list. The other 15 units are leased in the private housing market through Pacific Link Housing’s property management social enterprise, Key2 Realty.

Minister for Water, Property and Housing, Melinda Pavey, toured the site in February and praised the outcome saying it was “the most exciting development” seen during her time as Housing Minister. Minister Pavey is pictured below with Pacific Link Housing’s CEO Ian Lynch.

features

Pacific Gateway delivers:

• 21 x high quality, fit-for-purpose dwellings that caters to variety of affordability on the housing continuum.
• Affordable housing opportunities for local residents including students, elderly, and single parent households.
• Landscape design incorporating a large open shared area including community garden beds.
• Two adaptable units for people with disabilities.
• A community with high diversity, enhancing social inclusion.
• Access to tenant support programs to build capacity and encourage improved educational and employment outcomes (social housing tenants).