About Community Housing Futures WA
Community Housing Futures WA is a Western Australian State Government initiative, funded through the 2025 State Budget and delivered by Shelter WA. The program commits funding over four years to build the capability and capacity of the community housing sector, helping organisations grow stronger, operate more effectively, and deliver more social and affordable housing across Western Australia.
Why This Program Exists
Western Australia needs more social and affordable housing, and community housing organisations are central to making that happen. The 2022 Paxon Report, Community Housing Sector Growth Opportunities: Collaboration between Government and Industry to Drive Supply, commissioned by Shelter WA, identified that while the community housing sector has significant potential to partner with government in delivering social and affordable housing, many organisations are constrained by capability and capacity gaps that prevent them from doing so.
The report highlighted the need for targeted investment in sector capability, particularly for small to medium Community Housing Organisations, and recommended that government take an active role in supporting sector growth through grant programs and capacity building.
Community Housing Futures WA is the WA Government’s response to that call. The program is designed to meet registered and unregistered Community Housing Organisations (CHOs) and Aboriginal Community Housing Organisations (ACHOs) where they are, whether emerging, growing, or ready to scale, and provide a clear pathway forward.
What This Program Aims To Achieve
Community Housing Futures WA is built around four core objectives:
- Grow capability and capacity: strengthen how organisations operate, plan, and deliver housing services
- Improve access to funding: position CHOs to leverage State and Commonwealth housing initiatives
- Expand the sector: increase the number of registered CHOs to diversify and strengthen the sector’s ability to access grants
- Support Aboriginal-led organisations: ensure culturally safe and inclusive support for ACHOs, whether registered or unregistered
Who the Program Supports
Community Housing Futures WA is open to:
- Registered Community Housing Organisations CHOP (or also known as Community Housing Providers (CHPs) )across all tiers.
- Aboriginal Community Housing Organisations (ACHOs) and Aboriginal‑led organisations that provide, or are developing, community housing or housing‑related services.
- Emerging and aspiring community housing organisations that are working toward establishing housing capability or pursuing future registration.
Our Focus on Regions and Aboriginal-Led Organisations
Community Housing Futures WA recognises that housing need is not evenly distributed across Western Australia, and neither are the barriers organisations face in addressing the need it. Regional and remote communities experience some of the most acute housing pressures in the State, and the organisations serving those communities often operate with fewer resources and less access to professional support.
That is why this program places a deliberate focus on:
- Regional and remote organisations: ensuring that geography is not a barrier to participation, with regional engagement and on-the-ground support built into program delivery
- Aboriginal-led organisations: providing culturally safe, inclusive, and flexible support for ACHOs that respects community-controlled approaches to housing and acknowledges the unique operating environments of Aboriginal communities
- Emerging and unregistered organisations: recognising that some of the greatest growth potential lies with smaller organisations that simply need the right support to reach their potential
Community Housing Futures WA is committed to making sure this program works for all of Western Australia, not just the metropolitan area.
Built on a Foundation of Sector Knowledge
Community Housing Futures WA does not start from scratch. It builds on years of research, engagement, and hands-on capability building undertaken by Shelter WA across the community housing sector. This foundation ensures the program is grounded in real sector experience, informed by evidence, and designed with an understanding of the challenges organisations across Western Australia actually face.
ACHO Capability Building Project (2020–2023)
Shelter WA delivered a multi-year project strengthening governance, operations, and collaboration across four Aboriginal Community Housing Organisations in WA. Through peer learning and capability uplift, the project culminated in the ACHO Partnership Prospectus; confirming the critical importance of culturally led, place-based practice in supporting Aboriginal-controlled housing organisations.
Community Housing Sector Growth Opportunities, Paxon Report (2022)
Funded by NHFIC and delivered by Shelter WA, this landmark research identified partnership models, barriers to CHO growth, and practical strategies for scaling housing supply across Western Australia. The report’s findings continue to inform WA housing policy and directly shape the diagnostic, business advisory, and training approach underpinning Community Housing Futures WA.
Tier 2 & Tier 3 Community Housing Toolkit (2025)
Drawing on consultation, case studies, and sector data, Shelter WA developed a practical toolkit addressing capability, growth foundations, financial viability, governance, digital transformation, and regional challenges for mid-tier community housing organisations; many of whom are the primary audience for this program.
Regional Engagement Framework
Supported by a Lotterywest grant, Shelter WA developed a regional engagement framework spanning nine WA regions: Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Midwest, Goldfields-Esperance, Wheatbelt, Peel, South West, and Great Southern. This work mapped regional stakeholders, identified local strengths and challenges, and built the relationships and baseline data that now underpin Community Housing Futures WA’s commitment to meaningful regional engagement.
How the Program Works
Community Housing Futures WA is delivered through three connected streams, Growth Readiness Assessment, Business Advisory, and Training, Education and Tools, each designed to address different stages of organisational development. Organisations may access one or all three streams depending on their needs and readiness. Together, these streams provide a clear, practical pathway from where your organisation is today to where it has the potential to go.
A Program Built Around Individual Organisation’s Capabilities
No two organisations are the same. Community Housing Futures WA is designed to be flexible and responsive, starting with each organisation’s current reality, including urgent operational challenges, and building a tailored pathway towards sustainable growth. The program does not require organisations to be at a certain stage of development to participate; it is structured to support emerging, growing, and scaling organisations alike.
Confidentiality
All information shared with the program, including assessment findings, financial data, governance structures, and organisational challenges, is treated with strict confidentiality. Data collected through the program will be used solely for the purposes of assessment, grant evaluation, and program improvement. Any reporting or evaluation outputs will be aggregated and anonymised, ensuring that no individual organisation’s information is identifiable. Organisations can engage with the program openly and honestly, knowing their information is protected.
Your Feedback Shapes the Program
Community Housing Futures WA is a living program, designed to improve over time based on the experiences of the organisations it serves. Participant feedback is actively sought at every stage and is used to refine program design, identify emerging sector needs, and ensure the program remains relevant and effective. Organisations are not just recipients of support; they are partners in shaping it.
A Connected Pathway
While each stream can be accessed independently, the three streams are designed to work together. The Growth Readiness Assessment informs Business Advisory support, and both feed into the Training, Education and Tools stream, ensuring that training and tools are directly relevant to the real challenges organisations are navigating. This connected approach means that every element of support your organisation receives is purposeful, coordinated, and aimed at lasting impact.
Learn more about each stream by clicking the buttons below.
Our Impact Across Western Australia
Community Housing Futures WA is committed to transparency and accountability. This dashboard is updated regularly to reflect the program’s reach and impact across the State.
Organisations that completed a Growth Readiness Assessment
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Organisations that applied for a Business Advisory grant
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Organisations that received a Business Advisory grant
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Organisations that accessed Training, Education and Tools
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Where We Are Working
A map and regional breakdown showing the location of all organisations that have accessed Community Housing Futures WA streams will be published here. Organisations are supported across metropolitan, regional, and remote Western Australia.
Coming soon
Community Housing Futures WA and Shelter WA acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country and their ongoing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and to the Elders past and present. We support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and our recognition and acceptance of your invitation to walk with you towards a movement of the Australian people for a better future.
