Could housing cooperatives be an affordable solution to Australia’s growing housing crisis?
A project investigating the benefits of housing cooperatives in Australia will receive a boost, with the help of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project worth over $590,000.
In countries overseas the uptake of housing cooperative models, where member residents own shares in a building rather than real estate itself, have improved housing affordability and quality; offered security; built community and reduced social isolation; and improved employment and education outcomes.
Lecturer with the University’s Newcastle Business School, Dr Sidsel Grimstad is among the researchers from a cross-disciplinary, multi-university team undertaking the research. The project has also established an international advisory group of housing co-op academics from Europe.
In partnership with Australian Cooperative Housing Alliance, the project will capture an evidence base of what works in cooperative housing to provide rationale for growth of socially beneficial housing in Australia.
The ARC’s prestigious Linkage program is designed to promote national and international research partnerships and transfer knowledge, skills and ideas, seeking solutions to problems of national interest.
The grant includes financial and in-kind contributions by the partner organisation with additional in-kind contributions by the University of Newcastle, Western Sydney University, and Swinburne University of Technology.
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