Community Housing

What Community Housing does

Community Housing Industry Association NSW (CHIA NSW), legally NSW Federation of Housing Associations Inc., is the recognised peak body for not-for-profit community housing providers in New South Wales, Australia. The organisation represents 94 member organisations that collectively manage homes for approximately 54,000 families across the state and have delivered 5,800+ new homes with over $2.0bn in investment over the past decade. CHIA NSW operates from a single headquarters in Redfern, NSW, with a small executive team led by CEO Luke Achterstraat (appointed January 2026).

The organisation's core service portfolio includes the House Keys Benchmarking Platform (55+ participating entities nationally), the Industry Standard Tenant Satisfaction Survey service (331 projects, 175,498 responses captured), and the Community Housing Learning Centre delivered jointly with CHIA Victoria. Supporting offerings include accredited Certificate IV in Housing qualifications, professional development short courses, the Cadetship Program (with NSW Government), the Placemaking Toolkit, Climate Action Resources, and a National Industry Profile Dashboard. Technology infrastructure is based on WordPress, Moodle LMS, and Zoom for delivery, with no AI capabilities or public APIs.

CHIA NSW generates revenue through three primary streams: recurring membership fees from the 94 community housing provider members; training and professional development fees (Certificate IV at $6,000 per qualification, units at $400, short courses at $297-$522); and professional services revenue from tenant satisfaction surveys and benchmarking engagements. Additional funding flows from NSW Department of Communities and Justice for cadetships and the Workforce Capability Framework. The organisation also operates the Community Made public advocacy campaign targeting the 2027 NSW State Election and maintains a strategic partnership ecosystem including ACHIA NSW (Aboriginal housing peak body, spun off 2020-21) and multiple local councils for affordable housing delivery.

Name

Community Housing

Legal name

NSW Federation of Housing Associations Inc.

Website

https://communityhousing.org.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Housing Industry Association NSW (CHIA NSW) is the peak body representing 94 not-for-profit community housing providers managing homes for 54,000 families across New South Wales, delivering training, benchmarking, surveys, and policy advocacy services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Housing Industry Association

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs (925110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Compliance, Governance & Board Support Services (BPAJAHAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Community housing services
• Industry advocacy
• Professional development training
• Housing benchmarking platform
• Membership association

Headquarters

HQ city

Redfern

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CHIA NSW generates revenue through membership fees from community housing providers. Full members receive benefits including free access to support and advice, exclusive access to working groups and networking events, discounts on professional development training, tenant satisfaction surveys, and conferences. Associate membership is available for organizations with interest in community housing.
2. Training and Professional Development: Revenue from accredited training courses and professional development programs. Certificate IV in Housing costs $400 per unit, with full qualification at $6000 paid in 5 installments or funding available. Short courses range from $297-$522. Some courses are free for CHIA NSW members.
3. Survey and Benchmarking Services: Revenue generated from tenant satisfaction surveys and House Keys benchmarking services provided to community housing providers across Australia. Services include survey design, data collection, analysis, and peer comparison reporting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CHIA NSW is the peak industry body for community housing providers in NSW, Australia. It delivers membership services, policy advocacy, accredited training (Certificate IV in Housing), tenant satisfaction surveys, benchmarking (House Keys platform), and industry development resources to its 94 community housing provider members who collectively house 54,000 families.

Product overview

Community Housing Industry Association NSW (CHIA NSW) is a peak industry body providing a suite of services to community housing providers rather than a single product. The core offerings include: Tenant Satisfaction Surveys for measuring performance; the House Keys Benchmarking Platform for peer comparisons; the Community Housing Learning Centre for national and state-based professional development; the Cadetship Program for workforce entry; and a Placemaking Toolkit for estate community improvement. Supporting services include qualifications (Certificate IV in Housing), climate action resources, policy development and advocacy, industry publications, and a tiered membership program. The organization operates as a membership-based association with services delivered through its website, training platforms, and direct engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tenant Satisfaction Surveys Industry-standard tenant satisfaction survey service with multi-language support (including Easy English), paper/mobile/tablet administration, and complex questionnaire capabilities including skip logic and branching. Used by community housing providers to measure tenant outcomes.
• House Keys Benchmarking Platform Data and benchmarking platform enabling community housing providers to compare and track organizational performance against peers, featuring multiple dashboards for housing needs by electorate, maintenance mapping, and performance visualization. Used by 55+ entities nationally.
• Community Housing Learning Centre National training centre for community housing professionals delivered as a joint initiative with CHIA Vic, offering national professional development programs alongside state-based training for NSW and Victoria.
• Cadetship Program Earn-and-learn program providing 12 months paid employment with a community housing provider while studying Certificate IV in Housing, in partnership with the NSW Government.
• Certificate IV in Housing Qualifications Accredited training qualifications including CHC42221 Certificate IV in Housing and Certificate IV in Housing Part Qualification (skill set), with online and blended delivery options including Zoom-based learning.
• National Industry Profile Dashboard Interactive dashboard providing an overview of Australia's not-for-profit community housing industry with data on providers, portfolios, and finances.
• CHIA NSW Membership Program Tiered membership structure offering Full Membership for non-profit community housing providers and Associate Membership for interested organizations/individuals, with access to support, working groups, networking events, and discounts on training.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,800+ homes built by members in the last decade
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Aboriginal Community Housing Industry Association (ACHIA) NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016ACHIA NSW is the peak body for NSW Aboriginal Community Housing Providers, auspicied by CHIA NSW in 2016 and incorporated in 2020. CHIA NSW works closely with ACHIA to ensure better outcomes for Aboriginal tenants in community housing across NSW.
• Community Housing Industry Association Victoria (CHIA Vic)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHIA NSW and CHIA Vic jointly deliver the Community Housing Learning Centre, a national professional development program for community housing professionals. National programs are complemented by state-based training tailored to local legislation.
• NSW GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHIA NSW partners with the NSW Government on the Cadetship Program, providing training and jobs in the community housing industry. Cadets study the Certificate IV in Housing and have 12 months paid employment with a Community Housing Provider.
• NSW Department of Communities and JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSW DCJ supports the Community Housing Workforce Capability Framework developed by CHIA NSW. DCJ also provides the NSW Local Government Housing Kit for councils.
• Local Councils (NSW)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHIA NSW works with local councils across NSW to support affordable housing delivery. Partners include Griffith City Council (with Argyle Housing for Griffin Green project) and North Sydney Council (with Link Wentworth for Cammeray affordable housing).
• Home in PlaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome in Place partnered with CHIA NSW to develop the Staff Wellbeing Toolkit videos, a resource to support staff wellbeing in community housing teams.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Property Council of Australia: Property Council of Australia is the peak body for the property and construction industry. CHIA NSW's new CEO Luke Achterstraat previously served as NSW Executive Director at the Property Council, signaling organizational alignment. Broader scope than CHIA NSW but overlaps on housing supply policy and government engagement.
• Housing Industry Association (HIA): HIA is the peak national body representing the residential building industry in Australia. Overlaps with CHIA NSW on housing supply policy advocacy and industry development but represents builders and developers rather than community housing providers; a broader incumbent in adjacent housing segments.
• Homelessness Australia: Homelessness Australia is the national peak body for homelessness services. Adjacent to CHIA NSW's community housing focus with overlapping advocacy and member service models; competes for government policy attention and member engagement on the related but distinct homelessness cohort.
• National Shelter: National Shelter is Australia's peak housing advocacy body, operating at a national scope. It overlaps with CHIA NSW on policy advocacy and member services but addresses a broader constituency including homelessness, broader housing affordability, and tenant advocacy beyond community housing providers.

Direct peers

• Australasian Housing Institute: The Australasian Housing Institute is a professional body for housing sector practitioners across Australia and New Zealand. Overlaps with CHIA NSW on training, professional development, and credentialing for housing professionals, but operates at a broader regional scope with a focus on individual professional membership rather than organizational peak body representation.
• Community Housing Industry Association Victoria (CHIA Vic): CHIA Vic is the Victorian state peak body for community housing providers and CHIA NSW's direct counterpart. The two organizations jointly deliver the Community Housing Learning Centre and operate as sister state associations with similar membership, advocacy, and training models.

Regional players

• Shelter WA: Shelter WA is the Western Australian peak body for housing and homelessness. Functions as the WA equivalent of CHIA NSW with comparable advocacy, training, and member service models; primarily serves a different geography but represents a comparable peer structure.
• Q Shelter: Q Shelter is the Queensland peak body for housing and homelessness services. Comparable to CHIA NSW in its state-level peak body role but serving Queensland providers; competes for national-level influence and represents an analogous model CHIA NSW could emulate or partner with for cross-state service delivery.

Emerging players

• Community Housing Limited (CHL): CHL is one of Australia's largest Tier 1 community housing providers operating across multiple states. As a CHIA NSW member, CHL represents the type of large-scale provider member CHIA NSW serves; an emerging player in cross-state community housing operations that could reshape member dynamics.
• BlueCHP Limited: BlueCHP is a leading NSW community housing provider specializing in Specialist Disability Accommodation under NDIS. Its CEO Charles Northcote serves as CHIA NSW Board Chair. Represents an emerging player that is both a CHIA NSW member and a leading sector voice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-housing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Housing