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Eligibility for Housing Assistance - Specific Needs

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing

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Housing assistance is usually provided to applicants on a wait-turn basis. However, in special cases, an applicant may be housed ahead of turn. This is known as ‘Housing Assistance - Specific Needs’.

Am I eligible for Housing Assistance - Specific Needs?

To apply for housing that meets specific needs, you must first be eligible for housing assistance. See eligibility for housing assistance for more information.

To be eligible for housing that meets specific needs, your circumstances must be of a more extreme or urgent nature than other applicants waiting for housing assistance. Generally, situations which threaten a person’s (or their family’s) safety, security or health are regarded as the most urgent.

You must:

prove that you have an urgent need for housing;
show that you have no access to other housing alternatives such as private rental housing or housing with friends/relatives; and
prove that housing that meets specific needs will solve your long-term housing problem.

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What situations would be considered urgent enough to get Housing Assistance - Specific Needs?

The following situations could be considered for housing that meets specific needs:

families at risk due to violence, including domestic violence;
applicants who are approved foster carers;
applicants with a serious medical condition or disability made worse by current housing;
victims of accidental fire or natural disaster;
victims of major crime;
the residential services facility where you live is closing;
the caravan park where you live is closing; and
families with a child/children whose well being and/or safety is at risk of harm.

How do I apply for Housing Assistance - Specific Needs?

Contact your nearest Department of Housing office to make an appointment for an interview to discuss your eligibility and need for housing assistance and housing that meets specific needs, for example:

where you want to live;
how many bedrooms you are entitled to; and
specific housing needs you or your household may have.

Housing staff will advise which documents you need to bring to the interview, for example, proof of identification forms, evidence of your household’s income, evidence of citizenship or residency, evidence of any specific housing needs and supporting documentation to verify your urgent housing circumstances.

Please note: it is an offence under the Housing Act 2003 to knowingly provide to the Department of Housing false or misleading information that may influence decisions about your eligibility for housing services.

What happens next?

The Department of Housing will assess your eligibility for housing assistance and housing that meets specific needs. If you are eligible for housing assistance, and also entitled to housing that meets specific needs, you will be listed in up to six suburbs with the shortest wait-time and offered housing as soon as it becomes available.

If you require housing that meets specific needs in a specific area/suburb, you must provide evidence of this locational need. If your application is approved and you demonstrate a locational need, you will be offered housing in your nominated area as soon as it becomes available.

If your application is unsuccessful, you will remain listed for wait-turn housing.

What if I disagree with a decision?

You may ask for any decision about your Application for Housing Assistance - Specific Needs to be reviewed if you think the decision is wrong. This is called an appeal. The appeal will be managed within the department by an officer senior to the original decision-maker.

See the fact sheet on How to appeal (82Kb), or contact your nearest Department of Housing office, for more information on the appeals process.

Need more information about Housing Assistance - Specific Needs?

Please contact your nearest Department of Housing office.