The Community Housing Federation of Australia (CHFA) is the national peak organisation representing the views of community housing providers in Australia.

CHFA provides sound leadership in the representation of community and affordable housing issues at the national level through strong partnerships with Government, research bodies, and key state, territory, and national organisation, peak bodies and industry groups engaged in the community and affordable housing sector.

It is uniquely placed to bring together all parties to ensure effective development of the sector in a changing economic and political environment, allowing community housing to develop as a viable housing option providing quality housing services to tenants.

The Affordable Housing Exchange is just one of the many ways in which CHFA does this. The Exchange brings together developers, financiers, researchers, Government, and peak bodies and industry groups to discuss new and innovative ways to provide suitable housing solutions.

The Exchange is being held at the Australian Technology Park on 14 and 15 April 2011.

National Affordable Housing Exchange

The funding, development, and management of affordable housing — and especially affordable rental housing — is a key area of public policy.

The lack of sufficient safe, affordable and appropriate housing remains a top concern around the nation. The relationships between the funding, development and management of affordable housing – especially rental housing – are key areas of public debate.

The need for an increase in the supply of affordable housing, and the planning, regulatory, and funding frameworks to support this growth continues to be a primary focus across the public, private, and community sectors in Australia.

Significant funding provided through the Commonwealth’s Nation Building Economic Stimulus Program and other initiatives such as the National Rental Affordability Scheme have sought to relieve the pressure on affordable housing around the country.

Each of these areas of affordable housing activity is generating new work and opportunities for organisations that finance, develop, or manage affordable housing programs.

While these programs have helped to increase partnerships between organisations and companies operating in different parts of the broader affordable housing industry, there is room for greater collaboration between housing industry players.

Exchange Aims

The CHFA National Affordable Housing Exchange aims to respond to this policy and funding backdrop by providing delegates with an opportunity to network with housing professionals, gain news skills and directly meet potential partners and suppliers from industry, government, and the community sector.

For the second year running, The National Affordable Housing Exchange will provide participants with a detailed, meaningful, and rich engagement, both with each other as well as with industry experts.

The Exchange consists of three primary components:

1. A series of ‘master class’ style workshops on relevant areas of interest to increase participants’ knowledge and expertise in a particular area, with the objective of improving their skills base and increasing their delivery of affordable housing. In particular the Exchange will examine the impact on the sector post stimulus and what opportunities exist for leveraging private investment. The Exchange will look at innovative housing products as well as financial issues such as triple bottom line reporting.
2. Plenary sessions featuring presentations by prominent members of the housing industry on relevant housing issues; and
3. An expo/marketplace featuring housing-related businesses, suppliers, and industry representatives working in the affordable housing space, e.g. building construction suppliers, insurance and legal providers, software and IT vendors, architectural firms, property management consultants, etc.

Who should Attend

Delegates will be from a wide cross section of housing industry stakeholders, many of whom are—or plan to become—engaged in the development or management of affordable housing. Delegates at the Inaugural Exchange felt they had not only gained new insights and information but had identified possible future partnerships.

The Exchange is nationally focuses, and will be of particular interest to those interested in solving the issue of affordable housing including Property Specialists, Developers, Real Estate services, Financial Planners, the banking sector and suppliers to these services.

It will also be of interest to those working in alternative energy sector, research into urban studies specialist community housing services and those who support these services.