The community housing sector is a complicated sector in the different types of programs that are funded, the length of tenancy and the range of organisational structures that manage community housing.

The Queensland Government funds social housing to assist people in housing need through subsidies such as private rental housing assistance and management types of rental housing such as public housing (formerly Housing Commission) and community housing.

Social housing is important because people with low to moderate incomes or those with special housing needs often experience disadvantage in accessing the private rental market or home ownership. This means the cost of housing may be too high, or there may not be security of tenure or there may not be enough housing available. Community housing tends to target these people who are disadvantaged, giving them priority in housing.

Community housing complements public housing by providing affordable housing in locations where there is little public housing. Community housing also delivers flexible housing options including boarding house style accommodation and crisis accommodation. The public housing system is not geared to provide these options as it is mainly focused on providing long-term housing.

Community housing is rental housing managed by a community organisation and/or its representatives to meet that community’s objectives. Many local authorities, churches, community and welfare groups are involved in community housing. This is the 'community' in Community Housing.

These organisations may be either housing specific or provide a housing service as part of a range of services. Community Housing organisations target people on low to moderate incomes in their provision of affordable housing.

Features of Community Housing

Community housing is generally understood to include a lot of features such as affordable rental housing where the cost of housing is an affordable proportion of a tenant’s or household’s income; appropriate location with access to essential services and opportunity for community involvement providing security of tenure, the tenure which is chosen tends to be honoured; responding appropriately to locally identified needs and issues; management by non-profit, non government organisations; housing is either purchased or built with a government grant or leased from the private or public sector; and providing people with many of the advantages of home ownership without the cost of purchase

Benefits for tenants in Community Housing

Tenants benefit from being with a community housing organisation through having opportunities to be involved in the organisation’s management; housing management that is sensitive to the tenants’ needs; and the organisation’s capacity to link tenants with community support systems.

Tenant Participation in Community Housing

A significant feature of community housing, particularly long term housing, is the active encouragement of tenant participation by management committees. Allowing tenants to have a say in the way their housing is managed provides tenants with a further sense of security and satisfaction, at the same time allowing them the opportunity to further develop personal skills and capabilities. The voluntary participation of tenants is also valuable to the organisation - gaining insights of tenants’ needs, increasing its pool of skills and minimising tenant turnover.

Some tenant participation activities include participation in the management committee as an office bearer or director; or becoming a member of a sub committee that co-ordinates work in areas such as housing allocations, planning, repairs and maintenance, policy development, education and training, representing the organisation at meetings, community liaison person and networking, attending the organisation’s meetings, and active involvement in projects run by the Management Committee. For example: orientating new tenants, creating a tenant newsletter, organising a fun Annual General Meeting, planning and implementing a tenant satisfaction survey, gardening and landscaping at one of the dwellings etc.