The compelling value of social and affordable housing can now be quantified, thanks to an Australian
first calculator that estimates its wider social, economic and environmental benefit.

According to the SIGMAH calculator (Social Infrastructure and Green Measures for Affordable Housing)
the 40,000 social and affordable homes to be supported under the Commonwealth’s National Housing
Accord and Housing Australia Future Fund over the next five years will create an additional $4.4 billion
worth of wider benefit over the next four decades.

That is over and above the appreciating value of the underlying assets. Once constructed, the dwellings
built under the Housing Accord and Housing Australia Future Fund will deliver around $16.2 billion in
cost of living relief, primarily through lower rental costs compared to equivalent rentals in the private
sector.

The SIGMAH calculator provides government, community housing organisations and the broader social
and affordable housing sector with a robust tool to estimate Wider Social and Economic Benefits
(WSEB). This allows decision makers to understand how much less public expenditure a government will
incur from areas such as health, policing, and community services by making homes available to those
who need them. The calculator also estimates private benefits such as higher consumption, income and
educational attainment.

Full media release here