Churches Housing

Public church partnerships “stretch” the limited resources of both churches and public agencies and deliver real measurable improved outcomes for the people of NSW.

Churches Housing’s basic strategy in developing a partnership is first to provide information, education and assistance to churches who are considering housing as an option of responding to their community.  Assistance is then offered to groups wishing to assess their potential of working with government. Churches Housing provides information to government and churches regarding options and methods for utilising church-owned assets for community housing, and facilitates the development of the partnership. Churches Housing performs its role as objective facilitator, seeking mutually beneficial outcomes for both churches and government.

A public church partnership delivering community housing services is an arrangement between a government department/agency and a church/church agency, where each contributes resources to the creation of a service which delivers community housing.  At the very core of a public church partnership is that the public agency is not primarily acquiring an asset; it is purchasing a service under specified terms and conditions within a collaborative framework. 

Fundamental to these partnerships are the following principles:

§  Common goals for the long term provision of social and fiscal outcomes that are in the public interest;

§  Reciprocal rights and responsibilities setting out a framework in the contract providing some certainty for the parties in the delivery of services (this contract does not and cannot specify all elements and allow for all possible outcomes) and;

§  A risk sharing relationship entered into to deliver certain public policy outcomes (this implies that both parties have something to gain or lose) built on trust, like all successful partnerships.

Public church partnerships have a proven record of delivering housing options for a wide range of people.  By using a vacant or underutilised church asset as a base for a social housing development, government’s capital investment is greatly reduced.  Churches hold significant assets in high need areas.  Often these areas have little or no land available for purchase.  When land is available it is generally outside of the cost-benefit parameters of public agencies.  By entering into a public church partnership underutilised church owned land can be made available to deliver improved housing outcomes in areas government would otherwise be locked out of under current budget parameters.  The main beneficiaries are people with high needs who would be unable to access any housing in their current local community -  they would be forced to either live on the street or move.  By providing more community housing outcomes in high need areas significant benefits are delivered to the community.

Many churches and particularly church agencies are looking to develop their assets for community housing.  The potential is enormous and largely untapped.  Not only are community housing units delivered but also integrated care management packages are often included in these projects.  It is these linkages to support services that is a vital factor in enabling both public agencies and churches to respond to locally identified needs that build up and support sustainable communities.  The benefits to government, churches and the community have already been demonstrated through those church-based organisations that currently provide housing.

Churches Housing is funded by the the Community Housing Division of Housing NSW

Send mail to info@churcheshousing.org.au with questions or comments about this web site.