Housing Plus has prepared Affordable Housing Needs Analyses for Orange, Mid-Western Regional, Bathurst Regional, Dubbo Regional, Blayney and Lithgow local government areas to provide an understanding of the demand for affordable housing within Central West NSW and the extent to which current provision of housing meets the needs of existing and future residents.
These analyses are intended to provide an evidence base to support local councils – and the wider community – in developing an understanding of the demand for affordable housing, and how housing supply can increase to meet this demand.
The analyses highlight the worsening conditions for very, low and moderate income households to rent appropriate properties across Central West NSW, with rising levels of housing stress as rental costs continue to accelerate. The analyses also emphasise the lack of housing diversity across the region, and how existing housing stock, comprising mostly large detached houses (3+ bedrooms), is not effectively meeting the demand for appropriate and affordable housing from couples and single person households.
Other key housing issues in Central West NSW include a very high ageing population, indicating a need for housing to be appropriate and adaptable to enable people to age in place, and long waiting times for social housing.