Project Development

To view a list of vacancies in our new housing projects, please click here.

YCH has been involved in Project Development since 1997. We assume overall responsibility for managing staff, funding and other resources to deliver projects that are built to standards, incorporate environmentally sustainable design, and provide the amenity that our tenants require to conduct their lives with dignity.

YCH’s principal source of funding for project development comes from the Victorian State and the Australian Federal Governments.  YCH periodically accesses grants from other sources such as the Victorian Property Fund, donations, or grants for project-specific purposes (environmentally sustainable design features and equipment etc).  For most projects there is a shortfall between external funding and total project requirements.  In these instances, YCH draws on its cash reserves, or borrows on the market to secure the balance of funding.

One of our key concerns in all ventures is to ensure our projects do not have unintended consequences for tenants or local neighbourhoods.  Our goal is to bring the proposed tenant population and the local community along with us to develop projects that have broad acceptance wherever possible.    Tenant participation in design is always preferred if time and circumstances permit. By engaging with potential tenants, YCH learns what works for tenants and what doesn’t; what makes for good design and what makes a house a home.  Once again, where possible and appropriate, YCH seeks views from local communities to ensure we are fully conversant with local issues and the intangible aspects of the local neighbourhood; how it sees itself, how it functions now, and its future aspirations.  With a proactive dialogue we allow the opportunity for neighbours to become friends; and the opportunity to build positive relationships where valid concerns can always be raised in a safe, open and hopefully effective environment.

What is our approach to providing Affordable Housing?

YCH is committed to developing and managing housing that is well designed, affordable, accessible and secure.

By “well designed” we mean that the housing not only meets a high standard of physical design but that it meets the specific physical and social needs of the people who live there. Along with the rest of the world, YCH has become much more focused on environmentally sustainable design.  Our principal interest here is to achieve buildings that are environmentally, thermally and acoustically sound, are low maintenance in nature and that our water, electricity and gas services are cost efficient and protect our tenants from run-away usage costs.  We seek to harvest and use rain water on site for gardens and toilet flushing; and design gas boosted solar hot water services wherever possible.

By “affordable” we mean that people have enough income after paying rent to live a dignified life and participate in their community.

By “accessible” we mean that those people with the highest level of housing needs are not excluded. By “secure” we mean that people are able to live safely in our housing for as long as they want - rather than for a limited period of time.

Of equal importance is our commitment to achieving positive outcomes for our tenants - assisting them to sustain their housing and providing opportunities for them to build a sense of home and community. YCH recognises that these positive outcomes are closely linked to issues of support, access to services and opportunities for community participation - including training and employment.

To this end, YCH plays a role in advocacy for social justice and housing related issues such as income support, tenancy rights, housing standards and the supply of affordable housing. We also see our role as empowering low income people to develop their own effective voice. We do not have the resources to do this work alone and are committed to working in partnership with other organisations.