Assemble, Housing Choices Australia and HESTA Open Swift Walk, Kensington

Assemble, Housing Choices Australia and HESTA, joined by the Honourable Clare O’Neil MP, Federal Minister for Housing, and other project partners, celebrated the official opening of Swift Walk, which is supported by Housing Australia Future Fund Facility (HAFFF) funding provided by Housing Australia. 

Swift Walk demonstrates a new model for delivery of large-scale social and affordable housing bringing together Government, institutional investors and community housing expertise to deliver much-needed housing for Australians on lower and middle incomes.  

With investment from capital partner HESTA, a leading specialist industry super fund, and delivered and managed through a strategic partnership between Assemble and tier-one community housing provider Housing Choices Australia, the large Build-to-Rent development provides 362 homes across five buildings, including 272 affordable and social homes, alongside new green spaces and community infrastructure, all within walking distance of transport, employment hubs and major hospitals. 

“The opening of our first build-to-rent asset is a significant milestone, creating hundreds of new social and affordable homes,” HESTA CEO Debby Blakey, said. 

“Boosting housing supply is one of Australia’s biggest challenges and long-term investors like HESTA – working with partners like Assemble and Housing Choices Australia – can be part of the solution.” 

Whilst social and affordable housing was always included in the project, the award of HAFFF funding by Housing Australia in September 2024 made it possible to  increase the number of social and affordable homes.  

In addition to HAFFF funding, the project is supported by debt funding from ANZ and Treasury Corporation of Victoria.  

The buildings will be managed by Assemble in partnership with Housing Choices Australia in close collaboration with specialist community housing provider Aboriginal Housing Victoria, ensuring that the homes provide security and long-term stability for all residents.  

“Swift Walk demonstrates that with the right policy settings, there is institutional investor appetite to invest in housing, including appropriately managed social and affordable housing. The combination of HESTA’s leadership, the Australian Government’s HAFFF program, and Assemble’s innovative partnership with Housing Choices Australia mean that high quality mixed tenure rental homes can be delivered at scale — and in locations near public transport, jobs and daily amenity,” said Carolyn Viney, CEO of Assemble. 

Swift Walk offers secure, professionally managed rental homes for a diversity of residents including young, old, singles, families and retirees, and for a spectrum of household incomes including essential workers such as nurses, aged-care workers and early childhood educators who need affordable housing close to work.

The project includes a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with publicly accessible green spaces, a supermarket and complementary retail spaces at ground level, as well as resident facilities including co-working space, multipurpose spaces, gym, workshop, rooftop BBQ areas, communal laundries and other shared amenity areas throughout. 

Swift Walk is one of the many housing assets Assemble intends to deliver as part of its strategy to deliver 17,000 homes — including social and affordable homes delivered in partnership with Housing Choices Australia and other community housing providers — and manage $15 billion in housing assets by 2034. 

Find out more about Swift Walk and the homes available for rent.