FAQs

Affordable housing is housing that is priced so that households can rent or buy their housing using no more than 30% of their gross household income. 

Affordable housing allows very low, low and moderate income households to pay their rent or mortgage also be able to meet other basic living costs such as food, clothing, transport, medical care and education. 

Affordable housing that is available to rent may be owned by private developers or investors, local governments, charitable organisations or community housing providers. It is usually managed by not-for-profit community housing providers, and sometimes by private organisations.

Housing stress is a situation where a very low, low or moderate income household is paying more than 30% of their gross household income on housing (rent or mortgage payments).

A household in housing stress may need to reduce spending on other essential living expenses such as food, transport, medical care, utilities, clothes and education to be able to afford their rent or mortgage payments.

Affordable housing is housing that is priced to be affordable for people within certain income brackets. This generally means that very low, low and moderate income households can afford to purchase or rent that housing using no more than 30% of their gross household income.

Housing affordability is the general picture of the capacity of people to pay for their housing (rent or buy) or, the ratio of income versus housing prices and the availability of housing across the spectrum of price brackets.

Social housing is secure and affordable rental housing for people on low incomes with housing needs. It includes public, community and Aboriginal housing. Public housing is managed by the NSW Government while community housing is managed by non-government organisations.

Social housing is a type of affordable housing.

The Draft Affordable Housing Strategy has been prepared to identify initiatives and actions to be undertaken by the City of Coffs Harbour to assist to increase the supply of affordable housing in the LGA.

Councils are not responsible for building housing, so the draft Strategy aims to encourage and facilitate delivery of housing by those whose role this is including; private developers, the NSW Government and community housing providers.

The draft Affordable Housing Strategy lists 15 Initiatives that are intended to encourage and facilitate the funding and delivery of affordable housing.  The Initiatives focus on advocacy to the NSW and Federal Government for more funding for affordable housing. It also facilitates delivery of affordable housing through the City’s planning controls. This approach is considered to be the most efficient and cost-effective way for the City of Coffs Harbour to assist to increase the supply of affordable housing in the LGA.