Most of the need for affordable housing in the Central Coast is from very low-income households, and from the bottom half of the lower-income band and lower-income families.

Housing is generally considered to be ‘affordable’ when very low, low- and moderate-income households are able to meet their housing costs and still have sufficient income to pay for other basic needs such as food, clothing, transport, medical care, and education. This is generally accepted to be where such households pay no more than 30% of their gross household income on housing costs.

As the private market is not providing adequate affordable housing and is unlikely to do so even with strong planning intervention, the direct creation of social and affordable housing for diverse groups including lower-income key workers, older pensioners, retirees, people with a disability, people at risk of homelessness, and very low and low-income families is the only effective strategy for such groups.