Back in July of 2024, the NSW Government revealed its plans to begin introducing modular homes across the state to help tackle the housing crisis. These compact, affordable homes are built from pre-made sections which are fitted together to form a modular building, which can be transported and installed onto a site in one fell swoop. This method of construction makes the homes super-efficient to build. On paper, it’s a pretty solid route to helping solve the housing crisis, but its effectiveness as a social housing solution hasn’t yet been tested.
This week, the first residents of a public modular social housing project have officially moved in. The first modular housing project in NSW has opened its doors in Woollongong, with three modular houses now official homes to local residents. Over the next year, 90 modular homes will be completed across NSW, providing social housing for 150 people.
The residents of the compact new homes (which can be built 20 per cent faster than regular homes) aren’t the only beneficiaries of the scheme. According to the NSW Government, a major focus of the modular housing project was to boost manufacturing jobs across NSW, with modular social housing expected to create more than 4,000 jobs in factories and on building sites across Sydney and regional NSW.
By the end of this year, the NSW Government aims to have delivered a further 10 modular social homes, with five in Shellharbour and five in Lake Macquarie. Plans to deliver the additional 80 modular homes by the middle of 2026 are in the works.
“These 90 modular homes are just the beginning. We are rebuilding the public housing system,” explained Rose Jackson, Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness.
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