Investing in the community
In a bid to provide affordable homes on the Sunshine Coast for those that are financially disadvantaged, Foresters ANA has agreed to help fund the development of new office premises for the area’s housing council.
The property loan will come from the Foresters ANA Community Trust Investment Fund, a unique ethical investment vehicle that has been set up to help encourage socially responsible investment and achieve greater financial stability, sustainability and capability for community organisations in Australia.
The money will help the Sunshine Coast Regional Housing Council expand its much-needed residential services for local families who are being forced out of the area because of rising costs.
The office building is also large enough to provide space for other similar community organisations in the future.
Foresters ANA manager Belinda Drew said the initiative appealed to investors who sought both a social and financial return on their investments.
“Our ethical investors are rewarded by knowing that while they gain financially, their money is working to achieve greater social good in their community,” she said.
“Socially responsible investment is an evolving concept in the investment market in Australia.
“Community development finance institutions are a well-established part of the financial market in the UK and USA, and attract significant individual and institutional investment.”
With a history built on community encouragement that dates back to the 1890s, Foresters stands alongside a small number of credit unions, banks and philanthropic societies that are also working towards socially-minded investment strategies.
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