Social Housing Eligibility and Allocations Policy Supplement

1. Unstable housing circumstances – evidence requirements
2. At risk factors – evidence requirements
3. Existing accommodation is inappropriate for basic housing requirements – evidence requirements
4. Unable to resolve need in private rental market – evidence requirements
5. Stolen Generations Survivors and Clients who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse – evidence requirements

Clients are required to substantiate their need for priority housing assistance. The housing provider must be satisfied that the client has an urgent need for housing, that they do not have the ability to resolve their housing need and that their need cannot be more adequately addressed through other housing assistance options.

1. Unstable housing circumstances – evidence requirements

Clients who are experiencing unstable housing circumstances must demonstrate they need to leave the place they are staying and they have nowhere else to live. For more information see item 13 on the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet.

2. At risk factors – evidence requirements

The client will need to provide documents to support their application. For more information about the type of documents that can be provided see item 15 on the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet.

No additional supporting documentation is required in cases where a client provides any of the following:

• support letter or completed Medical Assessment from the Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS)
• request for assistance from Community Services
• support letter or report from the client’s treating psychiatrist.

The refugee ‘Women at Risk’ category is demonstrated by the presence of visa subclass 204 stamped in the client’s passport. Because the client’s circumstances may have changed since the visa subclass 204 was originally issued, housing providers will require further supporting documentation showing how the client is currently at risk.

3. Existing accommodation is inappropriate for basic housing requirements – evidence requirements

Where a client, or a member of their household, has a severe or ongoing medical condition or disability they must show how their current housing circumstances are having a bad effect on their health or wellbeing. If a client has a severe or ongoing medical condition or disability, the social housing provider will consider:

• the severity of the person’s condition, and
• whether the medical condition is permanent or likely to be permanent, and
• the mobility of the person affected, and
• the impact of the current dwelling and/or location on the person’s health or wellbeing, and
• how often the person needs to visit medical services or specialists, and
• if, and how easily, the person can travel to these services, and
• if, and how easily, these services can be accessed in other areas.

Clients who receive a Disability Support Pension are not required to provide any further proof of their disability. However, all clients must provide documentation to support their application if applying based on inappropriate housing. For more information on the types of documents that can be provided see items 14 and 16 on the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet.

If documentation such as a Medical Assessment does not clearly show how the client’s existing housing circumstances are inappropriate, housing providers may request further information from the health professional or support agency.

The exceptions to this are requests for assistance from Community Services and support letters from STARTTS. In these instances, housing providers will not require any further information.

Where a client, or a member of their household, needs safe and secure accommodation to have a child returned from out-of-home care or to help prevent children from entering out-of-home care they must demonstrate that a priority housing status is required to meet the needs of a child. For more information see item 14 on the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet

4. Unable to resolve need in private rental market – evidence requirements

Clients must demonstrate the reasons why they are unable to find alternative accommodation, for more information see item 23 on the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet.

5. Stolen Generations Survivors and Clients who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse

Clients who are Stolen Generations Survivors or have experienced institutional child sex abuse are eligible for priority housing assistance on those grounds, subject to the following evidence being provided:

Stolen Generations Survivors

Clients will need to demonstrate they are a Stolen Generations Survivor. Evidence to demonstrate this includes a letter from the Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme, confirming a successful reparation claim, or a letter from a Stolen Generations Organisation, acknowledging the client as a Stolen Generations Survivor.

See item 22 on the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet

Clients who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse

Clients will need to demonstrate they are successful applicants to the National Redress Scheme. This can be achieved by a letter from the National Redress Scheme, confirming a successful redress claim. Homes NSW will also consider clients who have received a civil compensation payments in relation to institutional child sexual abuse, for the purposes of this priority housing category; in this instance, written evidence of the civil compensation payments will be required.
See item 22 on the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet