Next Horizon Initiative (NHI):
The Next Horizon Initiative (NHI) is a strategic partnership supporting Housing Matters Action Group (HMAG) to strengthen its long-term impact, resilience and place-based, community-led leadership.
Initiated and supported by the Siddle Family Foundation (SFF), NHI reflects a shared commitment to doing philanthropy differently – investing not just in programs or projects, but in the time, trust and capability needed for place-based organisations to plan well, transition sustainably and lead systems change in their communities.
Grounded in local and place-based knowledge
At the heart of NHI is HMAG’s extensive and ongoing place-based community consultation and local research. Over several years, HMAG has worked closely with local residents, workers, service providers and partners to build a deep understanding of housing need, lived experience and the specific dynamics of the local housing system.
This work has included whole-of-community housing surveys, targeted engagement with young people, First Nations outreach, and sustained conversations with the local homelessness and housing support sector. Together, these streams provide a nuanced picture of how housing pressures are experienced differently across the community, and where gaps and opportunities sit within the local system.
Insights from this work directly inform HMAG’s strategic thinking under NHI, helping to identify locally appropriate priorities, clarify where collaboration is essential, and guide how limited resources can be deployed for the greatest place-based impact.
Planning for the next decade
Through NHI, HMAG is developing a place-based, community-informed 10-year strategy that will guide its work over the next decade. This strategy is designed to:
- clarify HMAG’s long-term role within the local housing system
- strengthen governance, organisational systems and financial sustainability to support place-based delivery
- support the maturation and transition of key initiatives, including the Waterfall Way Community Land Trust (WWCLT)
- ensure HMAG remains responsive to changing local conditions while contributing to broader system change
NHI will be a key focus of HMAG’s work through to mid-2026, creating dedicated space to step back from day-to-day delivery, reflect on place-based learnings emerging from consultation, and make thoughtful, well-sequenced decisions about the future.
Philanthropy as a place-based partner
The partnership with SFF is central to NHI. Rather than prescribing outcomes, SFF has supported HMAG to set its own locally grounded direction, invest in organisational capability, and move at a pace that reflects the realities of place-based, community-led change.
This approach recognises that lasting impact – particularly in complex areas like housing affordability – depends on local leadership, trust and long-term commitment. NHI demonstrates how philanthropy can act as an enabler of place-based community leadership, supporting grassroots organisations to build durable foundations for change.
Looking ahead
NHI is about ensuring that HMAG’s next chapter is deliberate, locally informed and sustainable. By combining deep community consultation, long-term strategic planning and values-aligned philanthropic partnership, the initiative is strengthening HMAG’s role as a locally grounded, place-based and community-led driver of housing solutions – now and into the future.
