Sydney’s first dedicated affordable housing for trans women designed to deliver ‘positive outcomes’

Dedicated affordable housing for trans women is to be built in Sydney, Australia.

Community housing provider and charity Common Equity NSW, in partnership with All Nations Housing Co-operative and the City of Sydney local council, will deliver the first-of-its-kind social housing in a bid to provide a safe place to live for transgender women seeking an affordable home. 

The housing provider, which is for people on very low to moderate incomes, prides itself on creating inclusive living and promotes the independence and well-being of people and communities.

Common Equity NSW chief executive Nick Sabel told PinkNews the housing should create “a strong, viable and thriving housing co-op which delivers positive outcomes for trans women”. 

He went on to say: “Co-op housing is more than just affordable housing, it empowers communities’ democratic control over their housing outcomes.”

The inspiration for the project was a group of trans women searching for a safe place to live, who formed a co-op called All Nations.  

The group, he said, faced “extreme housing unaffordability and low rental housing availability” while needing to access health and support services.

“Safety and security features will be central to the design and refurbishment process,” he added.

The creation of the housing follows studies showing trans women are “severely at risk in the areas of housing, safety, health and ageing”. 

The design will include input from the women and support will also be offered to help them thrive. 

“All Nations have strong support arrangements with a range of services and agencies. We will also link with other agencies such as the Gender Centre and [community health charity] ACON to support this transgender co-op,” Sabel said, and he hopes the model can “be replicated elsewhere”.