Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom: Innovation and Diversity in Australian Not-for-Profit Housing Organisations

Australian social housing policy continues to move away from a traditional hierarchical public housing model. The small but fast growing not-for-profit sector has expanded through the introduction of private finance, a tax credit scheme, stock transfers, planning incentives and an economic stimulus package. This article examines the diverse ways in which the leading not-for-profit providers in Australia have responded to these opportunities, using the concept of organisational hybridity. Coverage of hybridity includes both established housing providers and emergent third sector organisations including finance consolidators, development consortia and cross-subsidisation vehicles. Using information from interviews, organisational case studies and documentation, this paper assesses the drivers for the growth of hybridity in Australia. The policy implications for governments steering a diverse housing sector through promoting hybrid organisations are discussed, and reflections are provided on the opportunities and limitations of using hybridity analytical frameworks. An issue to emerge from the analysis is the diversity of organisational forms, financing models and strategic orientation of hybrid organisations promoted through the same policy settings.