Alice Anderson, 33, who works for the peak body that organises volunteers in NSW, pays around half the market rate to rent her one-bedroom apartment, which is a short walk from King Street, Newtown, a vibrant suburb close to Sydney’s CBD.

The Platform Apartments, built by not-for-profit developer City West Housing, will be familiar to rail commuters from the city to the west. The six-storey building, with 88 apartments, can be seen out the left side of the train between Macdonaldtown and Redfern stations in North Eveleigh.