The Salvation Army welcomes City of Sydney's housing grant.

The Salvation Army welcomes the announcement by the City Of Sydney that it will provide $250,000 in funding to help build 160 central Sydney homes for lower income workers and people seeking crisis accommodation.

The funding will go towards The Salvation Army’s $55 million housing project in Surry Hills that will include 118 affordable housing units where rents are capped and 48 emergency accommodation units for people who are on the verge of becoming homeless. 

The leader of The Salvation Army (Eastern Territory) Commissioner James Condon says the units will help alleviate the financial pressure for many people who are struggling on lower incomes and that he is pleased with the City of Sydney’s decision. 

“I am delighted that the City of Sydney had agreed to provide the financial support needed to ensure the project proceeds. This development is an important step in changing the institutional way we have traditionally addressed homelessness in the inner city,” he said.

“We hope this project will be part of a safety net designed to prevent people falling into homelessness in the future. Providing affordable housing for people coming out of crisis housing is an important step in the right direction.”

Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomed The Salvation Army’s plans which she said would help address the serious housing shortage in Sydney.

“If people on low to moderate incomes can’t find reasonable affordable housing close to their jobs in the city, they’ll move further away to seek work nearer their new homes, and we’ll lose their valuable skills,” the Lord Major said.

The Salvation Army is one of the largest providers of homelessness services in Australia and affordable housing solutions for people living in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.