NHFIC partners with Queensland Government and BlueCHP to boost supply of social housing in Brisbane

Constructed during 2021-2023, the 6-storey development in Windsor comprises 42 two-bedroom apartments, each with a private balcony or patio, communal open spaces and parking.

Located within 5 kilometres of Brisbane’s central business district (CBD), the apartment complex is close to public transport, primary and secondary schools, local parks, sporting facilities and employment opportunities.

The apartments will provide homes for Queensland households from the social housing register, including job seekers and single parent families with a child under 12.

The first tenants commenced moving in May 2023.

NHFIC has provided funding of $2.05 million through the Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator (AHBA) in an agreement under the Queensland Government’s Partnering for Growth initiative. The Queensland Government has provided $20.57 million in capital grants and BlueCHP will own and maintain the apartments on a long-term basis.

Minister for Housing Julie Collins said: “More Queenslanders will have a safe, affordable place to live, thanks to this collaboration between the Federal and State Governments. This is the kind of innovative, affordable rental project that could be funded by our $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, the single largest investment in social and affordable housing by a federal government in more than a decade.”

NHFIC CEO Nathan Dal Bon said: “NHFIC is pleased to support BlueCHP with the supply of more community housing under the Partnering for Growth initiative, so more Queenslanders have a safe place to call home.”

“Through this innovative partnership, BlueCHP is able to access cheaper, longer-term financing from NHFIC that will allow them to direct more funds towards building homes for those in our community who need it most.”

BlueCHP CEO Charles Northcote said: “This project at Windsor, and its companion building at Lutwyche, are great demonstrations of BlueCHP’s ability to establish innovative financial structuring to deliver pragmatic affordable housing solutions, on time and to budget, for people in need across Australia. BlueCHP applaud the Qld State Government and the NHFIC for their leadership and spirit of partnership.”

About NHFIC - NHFIC’s mission is to improve housing outcomes for Australians. Established in 2018, NHFIC is a corporate Commonwealth entity that provides long-term and low-cost finance and capability building assistance to registered community housing providers (CHPs) to support the provision of more social and affordable housing. NHFIC lends, invests and provides grants to help finance the critical infrastructure needed to unlock and accelerate new housing supply. NHFIC supports home buyers by administering Government schemes that help them purchase their home sooner, and undertakes independent research into housing supply, demand and affordability in Australia. For more information and the latest data on our achievements, visit nhfic.gov.au 

Housing Legislative Package - the Federal Government has introduced legislation to transition NHFIC into Housing Australia, with expanded responsibilities to support delivery of their Housing Policy agenda. The legislation includes renaming NHFIC as Housing Australia with primary responsibility for delivering 40,000 new social and affordable homes over 5 years from 2024. This comprises 30,000 homes to be delivered with funding contributions from the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) (20,000 social, 10,000 affordable) and 10,000 affordable homes under the National Housing Accord. These additional responsibilities are subject to the passage of the legislation. NHFIC will continue to deliver the Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS), the Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator (AHBA) and the National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF, which was recently expanded as part of the Federal Government’s 2022 housing election commitments).