Tackling the regional housing crisis together
The Housing Matters Action Group are locals working on affordable housing solutions. We need affordable, secure, accessible and environmentally responsible housing throughout the Bellingen and Nambucca Shires and right across the North Coast of NSW.
Everyone needs a safe, secure and affordable place to call home.
Housing Matters Action Group is made up of local people whose vision is that everyone living in the Bellingen Shire has a safe and secure place to live. We work with the community to strengthen wellbeing by activating local housing solutions that are affordable and environmentally responsible.
We’re looking for people with skills we can call on as Housing Matters grows. Ahead of recruiting staff, we’re putting together a panel of local contractors.
This is paid contract work. Some of it is immediate — helping us put the scaffolding in place. Some may continue once our team is built.
Experience in the not-for-profit sector or in housing is a bonus, but not essential. We’re just as interested in hearing from people who are good at what they do and are based in the Bellingen Shire or surrounding area.
Waterfall Way Community Land Trust Ltd
We are excited to see the Waterfall Way Community Land Trust (WWCLT) Ltd project continue its important work into 2026! Their new website is now live with heaps of important info on their work and ways to get involved.
Supported by generous funding from the Siddle Family Foundation (SFF), the WWCLT Establishment Project is bringing to life one of Housing Matters Action Group’s longest-standing priorities: developing a community-led, permanently affordable housing model for Bellingen Shire.
The WWCLT is focused on delivering forever affordable shared homeownership for the ‘missing middle’—local people on local incomes who are priced out of the housing market.
Throughout 2025 they rolled out a community engagement campaign to introduce the Community Land Trust model across the Shire. Residents are encouraged to get involved by:
Check out their new website here.
Completing a Registration of Interest form if you’re looking for secure, affordable homeownership in the coming years
Signing up as a Friend of the WWCLT Ltd to stay informed and help build the movement
Together, we can show that communities can create their own housing solutions—by the community, for the community.
Homes for Health (HfH) is a community-led initiative helping doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health staff find secure, affordable accommodation in Bellingen Shire.
Housing is one of the biggest barriers to recruiting and retaining healthcare workers in our region. When health workers can’t find a place to live, our whole community feels the impact.
We link healthcare workers and students with vetted local hosts and provide support throughout each arrangement.
Local homeowners can offer:
Short-term stays for students and trainees
Interim rentals for relocating workers
Longer-term housing through under-used homes
Homes for Health complements longer-term affordable housing solutions being developed by the Waterfall Way Community Land Trust Ltd.
With support from Bellingen Shire Council and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, we are strengthening and scaling the program through 2026.
Learn more about how the program works, our 2026 plans, and how you can get involved.
📩 info@housingmatters.org.au
📞 0494 331 821
Jagun yaam Gumbaynggirrgundi. We acknowledge the Gumbaynggirr People as the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work, and pay our respects to all Elders and First Peoples past, present and emerging. Always was, always will be.