WA launches $6 million push to grow community housing, with Aboriginal services steering partnership

Western Australia’s government has announced a new $6 million partnership aimed at strengthening the state’s community housing sector, positioning the investment as a pathway to deliver more social and affordable homes at a time of sustained pressure on rentals and homelessness services.

The funding will support a “capability fund” delivered in partnership with Shelter WA, with the Council of Aboriginal Services WA and the Department of Housing and Works involved in steering the project. The initiative is designed to build the capacity of community housing providers so they can plan, finance, and deliver more housing projects, including those that may be supported through national funding streams.

Housing and Works Minister John Carey said the government wanted to expand the role of community housing providers in meeting demand. “Community housing providers play an important role in delivering and managing safe, affordable homes for Western Australians,” he said.

Shelter WA chief executive Kath Snell said the investment would underpin operations over the next four years, supporting grants and sector development. “The $6 million investment will fund the project’s operations over four years, supporting grants, growth assessments, and a dedicated sector learning and development stream.”

In the government’s statement, the investment was framed as part of a wider housing agenda, with WA saying it has committed $6.3 billion to housing and homelessness measures since 2021 and delivered more than 3900 social homes over that period. The statement said the pipeline includes projects that will be managed by community housing providers, aimed at increasing the supply of social housing and affordable rentals for key workers and households on low to moderate incomes.

The announcement comes as housing delivery increasingly relies on blended funding sources. At the federal level, the Housing Australia Future Fund was established as a dedicated investment vehicle to provide additional support for social and affordable housing and other acute housing needs, including the particular needs of Indigenous communities and housing services for women and children.

For Aboriginal organisations and families, the WA government’s decision to include an Aboriginal services body in the partnership is likely to be closely watched as governments face ongoing calls to expand culturally safe housing options and ensure programs are designed with community leadership.