As you’re aware, the NSW and Federal government are investing in new supply of social and affordable housing, including through the following funding mechanisms:
- Social Housing Accelerator Fund (SHAF)
- Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF)
It is critical that when making an application for funding under either of the above, or future housing initiatives, that applications are evidenced-based and address urgent need target cohorts, including victims of domestic and family violence and older people at risk of homelessness.
The New Supply Commissioning Data Supplement aims to support funding applicants to identify locations and housing requirements where funding for new builds could be channeled, based on the urgent need target cohorts in the NSW Housing Register, including those mentioned above.
How to access the New Supply Commissioning Data Supplement
The data supplement is available by application only. Applications can be made to Department of Communities and Justice Homes (DCJ Homes), Social Housing Insights team at commissioning.data@homes.nsw.gov.au. Given the sensitive nature of the data, all successful applicants will be required to complete a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
Utilising New Supply Commissioning Data
We recommend you consider adopting the following practices when considering integrating data into your current and/or future funding submissions:
- If successful in an application for the New Supply Commissioning Data Supplement, we strongly encourage you to draw on the available data and reference it in any future funding submissions as part of your evidence-based application/s. As a general principle, all data should be de-identified.
- If your ACHP utilises any vacancy/waitlist/unmet need data either owned by the ACHP or that theACHP has access to under an agreement with an ACCO partner, proactively make a statement in all submissions, asserting ownership of that data.
- Each ACHP lodging a submission should explicitly prohibit the tendering agency from collecting and utilising any included data, for any purpose other than assessing the applicable submission for which it is included.
Important
It is acknowledged that the data available does not capture the full demand of Aboriginal households, and that the housing demand from Aboriginal families far exceeds what is reflected in the available data. Specifically, the available does not account for:
- Non-government owned Aboriginal social housing waitlists held by Local Aboriginal LandsCouncils (LALCs) and other Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) who also own and manage Aboriginal social and affordable housing; and
- Research and information held by local Aboriginal organisations, such as Local Decision-Making groups, Empowered Communities and other alliances intentionally formed by ACCOs and their networks to collect, analyse and use in accordance with Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles.
To resolve the gap in data for Aboriginal social and affordable housing demand in NSW, the NSW government is working in partnership with Aboriginal organisations under the Closing the Gap DataOfficer Level Working Group to improve data and ensure data sovereignty is respected and information is shared in line with Priority Reform 4 under the National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Please contact Trista Hickey, Director – Closing the Gap, Policy and Communications at Trista.H@achiansw.org.au
if you need further information or would like to discuss.
Kind Regards
The ACHIA NSW Team
