Families and single people make up the residents who have moved into 46 units in a new affordable housing development built by St George Community Housing at Sutherland.
The nine storey building in Belmont Street replaced two old houses purchased in 2011 by the not-for-profit community housing provider.
Affordable housing is designed for workers on a low or moderate income, including those in “key worker” occupations such as emergency and health services, who may not be eligible for social housing but find it difficult to pay private market rent.
The rent is usually set at a discount of 25 per cent from the market rent, or up to 30 per cent of household income.
A spokeswoman for St George Community Housing said income eligibility varied according to the household.
“For example, for an individual, the maximum income limit is $47,900, for a couple with one child its $82,100 and for a sole parent with one child its $66,200,” she said.
Other criteria include tenants need to have a connection with the area through work, education, family or long term residency, and have derived part of their household income from regular paid employment over the preceding twelve months.
Christine, one of the new Belmont Street tenants, who has lived on her own for 30 years and works in a dance studio, was paying more than half her income on rent before being offered a unit in the development.
“Living on my own, I couldn’t afford to buy my own home and rents have become so high,” she said.
”Over the years, I’ve made do and put my children first as they have been growing up.”
The Belmont Street project is in the first batch of 285 new affordable housing developments in a variety of sizes, which St George Community Housing plans to build in Sydney under a five-year program.
Chief executive Scott Langford said, for communities to function and thrive, the housing needs of people from a range of different incomes, occupations and backgrounds needed to be considered.
“They include key workers, who are not in such dire need that they qualify for the social housing system, but have limited housing choices due to income and circumstance,” he said.
Affordable housing can be owned or provided by state and local governments, charitable organisations, community housing providers and the private sector.
Dwellings are managed by registered community housing providers.
The state government supports the development of affordable housing in several ways, including providing floor space incentives for developments and other incentives.
