St George Community Housing Limited (SGCH) was established in 1985 as a community-based, not-for-profit government funded community housing provider in order to provide affordable, secure and appropriate community based housing for people on low and moderate incomes in the Sydney metropolitan area. As the largest community housing provider in NSW, SGCH has a particular focus on encouraging tenant and community participation in the delivery of quality services to all our stakeholders.
Over 26% of SGCH housing (excluding Bonnyrigg) is linked with support. The Port Jackson Supported Housing Program (PJSHP) was transferred to SGCH management in the 2006/07 financial year. The PJSHP provides medium term housing to people who require support to obtain and maintain housing. PJSHP has 195 properties under management with a target of 211 properties to be transferred in total.
SGCH is managed by a board of volunteer directors elected by members of the organisation at the Annual General Meeting. The SGCH Board has up to 10 members who offer themselves for service on the basis of their expertise in accounting, finance, law, business, management and social welfare. There are currently 40 staff, comprising full and part-time team members.
The organisation receives recurrent funding from Housing NSW (HNSW) Division of Community Housing (DCH) and the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability & Home Care (DADHC). Additional income comes from tenant rents, Capital-funded housing projects, tenancy management contracts and other fee-for-service assignments.
The current applicant and tenant portfolio reflects the diversity of the suburbs in which the organisation works and includes groups with specific support needs. SGCH currently operates in 23 Local Government Areas (LGA) offering housing solutions from fully subsidised housing to affordable housing.
In 2008, SGCH tendered to become a Preferred Growth Provider (PGP) in NSW. As a PGP, SGCH has access to a number of initiatives including the Affordable Housing Innovations Fund which was used to help purchase 50 properties in Leumeah. Being a PGP allows access to other potential funding such as the transfer of existing leases to 35-year leases in order to leverage borrowings to build affordable housing. Being a PGP has also assisted SGCH to build the necessary capacity to become a large and diverse provider into the future.
Becoming a PGP required SGCH to become a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered under the Corporations Act 2001. Members approved the conversion by special ballot. In the past year, SGCH has also continued the Housing Stock Transfer, transferring approximately 200 properties from Housing NSW. New properties have also been delivered as part of the PGP. These properties are being allocated under the Interim Common Access Strategy (ICAS) — in partnership with HNSW Central Sydney Division (CSD) and DCH.
In April 2009, SGCH was confirmed as a successful recipient of the Commonwealth and State governments’ combined National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) initiative which allowed the assisted purchase of Affordable Housing. In addition to properties already secured in the Campbelltown LGA and SGCH is in the process of securing properties in the Bankstown LGA. This represents a significant step for SGCH as the organization shifts into the area of property ownership.
Our Mission
St George Community Housing is committed to delivering high quality, professional housing services to our tenants and applicants and supporting the communities in which they live.
Our Values
- Support
- Accountablility
- Respect
- Integrity
Our Vision
- We are a social enterprise that generates resources to respond to community needs and assist people with housing.
