Are not-for-profit organisations a source of land for affordable housing?? An exploratory study

Problem/Purpose: This article canvasses the repurposing of under-utilised assets owned by Not-for-Profit (NFP) organisations for affordable housing provision. Design/Methodology/Approach: Exploratory interviews were undertaken with five diverse NFP (non-housing) organisations. Findings: The research indicates that NFPs who are not principally engaged in housing provision, but hold surplus or under-utilised land and property assets, may be willing partners in affordable housing provision. However a range of institutional and structural barriers would need to be overcome for housing developments to occur on under-utilised NFP land holdings. Research limitations/Implications: The small scale of the study limits generalisation from the research findings. However, the findings point to an opportunity for innovation in housing land supply that warrants larger scale research. Takeaway for practice: That a source of well-located land is potentially available for future affordable housing provision, but that Not-for-Profit organisations would require resourcing in order to make their land available for this purpose. Originality/value: There has been no research on how NFP organisations view suggestions to repurpose their land for affordable housing despite at least one Australian jurisdiction actively encouraging this outcome. This paper reports the first Australian study of dispositions and barriers to the re-use NFP land assets. Social implications: Well-located land is a major cost input for the provision of affordable housing, and the repurposing of NFP land or assets for affordable housing could make a significant contribution to the stock of social housing.