One of the key changes and challenges currently facing the region is housing affordability.
Results from the 2021 Census indicated that in the Shoalhaven:
- more than 4100 households in the Shoalhaven are in housing stress
- more than 2100 households need affordable housing
- 700 people were recorded as homeless or marginally housed.
Recent information indicates this situation is only getting worse.
New Strategy
Council has been carrying out actions from the current Strategy over the past five years, but it is apparent that the current Strategy has reached its recommended review timeframe.
Grant funding was provided from the NSW Government’s Regional Housing Strategic Planning Fund to prepare a new Affordable Housing Strategy. Planning and economic consultants, HillPDA, were commissioned to assist Council with this work. They have also prepared four draft research papers which will support the Strategy and can be found in the Document Library.
The new Strategy:
- estimates the community’s affordable housing need
- identifies key challenges to the supply of affordable housing
- sets out work Council can do to supply affordable housing and improve housing affordability
- sets proposed housing affordability targets to ensure they meet the communities’ housing needs
- supports a sustainable development industry.