SA Affordable Housing September - October 2016 // Issue: 60 | Page 14

COVER STORY

Creswell House.

Communicare:

Providing Cape Town with
affordable housing − sustainably
Daring to deliver in the tough affordable housing market, Communicare
is ramping up its housing delivery efforts to deliver 2 000 new housing
opportunities into the social rental market by 2025 while also expanding
into other markets. Leadership at the organisation has recently
transformed and the organisation is set for even greater social impact.

C

pension grant or single mothers who receive the child
support grant,” says Anthea Houston, chief executive
officer of Communicare.

The non-profit organisation has been active in Cape
Town’s housing sector for over 85 years. Focused on the
providing affordable housing, the organisation has
implemented over 55 developments, and has played a
major role in building several Cape Town suburbs including
Ruyterwacht, Thornton and Crawford.

The organisation is strengthening its property
management strategies while also forging a number of
strategic partnerships to ensure that its portfolio grows.
Facing the housing challenge head on, Communicare’s
plans include redeveloping several of its existing
properties to increase densities and create additional
housing opportunities to accommodate more tenants. The
organisation is also looking to access more land for its
future developments.

ommunicare’s mission is to provide affordable
housing sustainably in Cape Town for people of
relatively low regular incomes with opportunities
for their economic upliftment.

Today, with over 3 300 social rental units, Communicare
remains the largest non-government contributor to
affordable rental housing in the Western Cape and a
recognised leader in the social housing sector.
To realise its vision, Communicare has adopted an
innovative social enterprise business model which aims to
cross-finance the delivery of social rental housing
opportunities through the surpluses derived from building
a substantial rental portfolio in the open market. “Over
time, building a strong market rental portfolio will allow
us to provide subsidised accommodation to vulnerable
tenants in a sustainable way. Many of these vulnerable
tenants are pensioners, reliant on the state’s old age

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SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016

AFFORDABLE
SA HOUSING

The Communicare Centre in Cape Town.