The massive response to Round 3 of the Housing Australia Future Fund is an extraordinary demonstration of the maturity of Australia’s non-market housing sector.
Less than a week after opening for expressions of interest, applications have been submitted to provide nearly 30,000 social and affordable homes and counting – smashing all expectations.
“The HAFF is a catalytic investment mechanism that deserves support from across the Parliament”, said Rob Stokes, Chair of Faith Housing Australia.
“The incredible response to the HAFF proves its success in building capacity, attracting capital, and promoting partnerships to provide real homes for people in need,
“This isn’t mere enthusiasm. It’s readiness,” said Amanda Bailey, CEO of Faith Housing Australia.
“We’re seeing years of preparation come together. Community housing providers have done the hard work on governance, finance and partnerships, and they’re now positioned to deliver homes quickly and responsibly.”
“The HAFF has shifted mission-driven housing providers from the margins to the mainstream.
“And with that comes legitimacy, scale and serious partnerships.”
“As volumes accelerated, Housing Australia moved quickly to adjust system settings, enabling large numbers of expressions of interest to be queued and allowing good projects to stay in play.”
Many of the projects now in the pipeline are backed by long-standing faith-based organisations, including some supported by land held in trust for generations.
“These are institutions thinking in generations, not funding cycles. They are building housing that lasts.”
She said the surge in demand shows growing alignment across the non-market housing system.
“Right now, this ecosystem is humming. Community housing providers, investors, landholders and governments are pulling in the same direction — and that matters when vulnerable people are finding fewer and fewer options in the private market.”
But she said success also brings responsibility.
“When a system starts working this well, the question naturally becomes: what next?”
“The response to this round shows what’s possible. It creates a real opportunity for government to build on this momentum and deepen the non-market housing system it is actively shaping.”
Faith Housing Australia said it will continue working closely with Housing Australia and government to turn this readiness into long-term outcomes.
“Our members are ready. The partnerships are in place. The pipeline is real,” she said.
“Government can have faith that our members have the capability, governance and partnerships to deliver at scale.”
ENDS
About us:
Who is Faith Housing Australia?
Faith Housing Australia (FHA) is the national peak body representing faith-based community housing providers, faith landholders, and enabling partners (planners, architects, developers and financiers). FHA members operate across social, affordable, crisis, transitional and specialist housing, and are deeply embedded in local communities across Australia.
Why faith land matters
Faith-based organisations collectively control a significant portfolio of well-located land—often near transport, services and established communities. Many sites are underutilised or suitable for redevelopment, presenting a major opportunity to deliver social and affordable housing at scale in locations with deep community connections and close to jobs and transport.
Key land insights (preliminary mapping, analysis by SuburbTrends and Urban Bio):
- ~9,850 faith-owned properties across NSW, QLD, SA and WA (~28.4 million sqm of land)
- 3,200+ large parcels (>3,000 sqm) with strong housing potential
- 2,430 sites within 800m of train stations, including 890 large parcels
- In NSW alone, 747 places of worship sites within 800m of a train station
- More than 20,000 potential dwellings identified on Sydney Metro sites
The 20,000-home pipeline
Based on national land mapping and member data, Faith Housing Australia estimates that faith-sector partnerships could deliver more than 20,000 new social and affordable dwellings over the next 5–10 years, with the right funding certainty, planning pathways, and partnership frameworks. This pipeline includes:
Church and faith-owned land in metropolitan, suburban and regional locations
Mixed-use redevelopments combining housing, community facilities and services
Partnerships with community housing providers, philanthropic capital and government
Public support for faith-led housing
Research by McCrindle shows strong community backing for faith-led housing initiatives:
- 92% of Australians agree repurposing underutilised faith land can help address the housing crisis
- 88% support faith communities using their land to create social and affordable housing
- 83% would welcome such developments in their neighbourhood
- 85% agree faith groups are well placed to support affordable housing initiatives
- 88% believe this is a practical and scalable solution
Contact details:
Amanda Bailey, CEO: amanda@fha.org.au | 0429 484 632
