Figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph reveal the waiting list for social housing blew out by a whopping 15 per cent in 2022 from just over 50,000 to 57,750, believed to be largely driven by single parents and low-paid workers. Forget about it.. Recent statistics provided to State Parliament showed that even for people on the "priority" waitlist, the process could be painfully long. Of special interest was priority infrastructure investments needed to support housing supply and new jobs on the Coast and the growth potential west of the M1. A detailed interactive table with information on expected waiting times for social housing for general applicants is provided by allocation zone and bedroom type. If you are assessed as being approved for social housing, the provider will place you on the NSW Housing Register. Success can depend on whether advocates can invest a significant amount of emotional effort to help the applicant and connect them to professionals who can track down supporting documentation. What do we do? The definition of special needs is different for different social housing programs. Endnote. Sydney city area or Freecall 1800 234 566 for all other areas. Housing assistance in Australia 2020. PO Box 20217. The community housing sector has urged the NSW government to increase social housing by 5,000 homes a year in the state in a pre-budget appeal, arguing it would stimulate the building industry and . 6 months ago. According to government figures, the average waiting time for a "priority access" housing applicant is currently 11.6 months. To find out more, we interviewed 43 people involved in the social housing application process in NSW, Tasmania and Queensland. Waiting times vary greatly depending upon the allocation zone that an applicant identifies that they would like to live in, when completing their application form. To have any chance of getting a social housing spot in a reasonable time frame, applicants must be on the priority waiting list; people on the general waiting list may never get social housing. Applying for social housing is fraught, onerous and competitive; applicants have to prove their vulnerability is greater than others. Over 1,500 households reported a health condition aggravated by housing as their main reason (Supplementary tables PRIORITY.3 and PRIORITY.S5). Greatest need applies to low-income households if, at the time of allocation, household members were subject to one or more of the following circumstances: Public housing, SOMIH and community housing programs prioritise household allocations by assessing their greatest need status. Generally, this is short-term temporary housing for up to 3 months however, in cases of a natural disaster a client will be offered 2-year lease. For the new special needs households,the waiting time represents the period from the housing application to the housing allocation. more than one-quarter were both greatest need and special needs households (27%, or 200 households). In 201112, the main reason for greatest need in public housing was homelessness (55%); this decreased to 48% in 201819. Family & Community Services on facebook opens in new window, Family & Community Services on twitter opens in new window, Family & Community Services on youtube opens in new window, Family & Community Services on linkedin opens in new window, View or change your housing assistance application, Keeping your housing assistance application active, Choice Based Letting pilot Inner City (Sydney), the number of suitable vacancies that occur and how many social housing properties are in the allocation zone, the number of approved applicants looking for the same type of property in their allocation zone, whether applicants will accept offers of public housing, community housing or Aboriginal housing (for eligible applicants). When you apply for housing assistance you can choose an area or town where you would prefer to live. Almost half (48%) of newly allocated households not in greatest need, spent more than 2 years on the waiting list before public housing allocation (Supplementary table HOUSEHOLDS.17). People experiencing homelessness identified as being in greatest need, but so too are those with the severest of living circumstances, who are deemed to be at risk of homelessness and therefore also in greatest need (Powell et al 2019). You can change your choice of provider at any time before you receive an offer of social housing. (e) Includes greatest need households where the homeless indicator was known. In comparison, 51% of newly allocated households not in greatest need were on the SOMIH waiting list for less than 12 months, including 22% spending less than 3 months (Supplementary table HOUSEHOLDS.17). If you cannot show that living in this zone is essential for your household, we will ask you to choose another area before we complete your assessment. In 2019, there were 148,500 households on the waiting list for public housing, down from 154,600 in 2014. Social housing is allocated according to priority needs, with allocations made on the basis of identifying those people with the greatest need and those with a special need for housing assistance. Read more: In this analysis, total waiting list times for those in greatest need were calculated from the date of greatest need determination to the housing allocation date. Nowadays, the average wait time is more like five or . Of the newly allocated households in SOMIH, 33% had greatest needs only, 15% had special needs only and 27% were both greatest needs and special needs households. And if you dont have the context of why that question is being asked, sometimes it can be very difficult to know how much information to put [in]. Clients approved for priority assistance will be housed ahead of most other applicants on the social housing register. Greatest need applies to households if, at the time of allocation, household members were subject to one or more of the following circumstances: States and territories may use different criteria for classification of greatest need. Please see COVID changes and restrictions for more information on visiting our hospitals and health services. The most seriously ill patients are seen immediately. Key points: Public housing wait list jumps 13 per cent in WA's Great Southern region Sheneya Tucker has already been waiting more than three years for a home Giving ex-prisoners public housing cuts crime and re-incarceration and saves money. "Whereas even if they're on a priority housing waiting list, you're still looking at a minimum of two years really before you can even . Releasing this information meets the NSW Premiers priority of improving government services by increasing access to, and transparency of, government information. Assistance from skilled advocates clearly helps get you on the priority wait list, which begs the question: what hope do others have? It may be months or years before you get an offer of housing. PRIORITY public housing applicants are now waiting almost 50 per cent longer for a home than they were a year ago, new figures show. 40% at risk of homelessness, down from a peak of 47% in 201314 (Supplementary tables PRIORITY.3 and PRIORITY.S5). Further, some people who wish to access social housing may not apply due to the long waiting times or lack of available options in their preferred location. [Part of that is] getting people document ready [] So, say someone is on the streets, we know they are very, very unwell, but they dont have documents to prove that. Similarly, for SOMIH, newly allocated households in greatest need were less likely than other households to spend an extended period of time on waiting lists. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework, Indigenous Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Clearinghouse, Regional Insights for Indigenous Communities, Australian Centre for Monitoring Population Health, Click to open the social media sharing options, Priority groups: greatest and special needs, Thirty years of public housing supply and consumption: 19812011, Waiting times for social housing last published 24 January 2018, Report on Government Services 2020 Housing. It is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation. Your rating will help us improve the website. Expected waiting times are published under the following categories: This information provides current approved general social housing applicants with a better idea of how long they may need to wait for a property in their chosen zone. You need to be aware that the waiting times are much longer in some areas than in others. Many of the newly allocated households in social housing were assisted because they were either experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness (see above box on the definition of Assessing greatest need). Domestic & Family Violence: NSW Domestic Violence Line 1800 656 463, Child at Risk: Call child Protection Helpline 132 111, Aboriginal Employment Related Accommodation Program. Office hours may vary in some locations. https://data.nsw.gov.au/data/dataset/5e2d14cf-e19a-4074-a252-f87c9cae2a41, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Expected Waiting Times for Social Housing. In 201819, similar numbers of newly allocated SOMIH households in greatest need reported either experiencing homelessness (40%, or around 180 households) or being at risk of homelessness (40%, or around 180 households). This includes 55% who spent less than 3 months. A further 38% were at risk of homelessness. Updated February 26 2023 - 9:58pm, first published 9:56pm. This is an increase of over 2,600 people in greatest need on the public housing waiting list since 30 June 2014. almost 4,700 applicants were in greatest need and waiting for SOMIH dwellings, up from 3,800 at 30 June 2014 (Supplementary table PRIORITY.7). The application form for social housing is demanding. The time that an applicant waits for social housing depends on: Applicants with complex housing needs are interviewed to assess the urgency of their situation. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2019 [cited 2023 Mar. We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future. The majority of Sydney suburbs to the east, north, west and south have an average waiting time of between five and 10 years. (ABC News: Jessica Warriner) The department put people on the priority waitlist if they could "demonstrate an urgent need". When you apply for social housing, the local authority assesses your application to determine your household's eligibility and need for social housing.If you qualify, your details are placed on the housing list. It is also important to note that in some states/territories applicants may be on more than one wait list and, as such, combined figures are expected to be an overestimate of the total. Postal. A detailed interactive table with information on expected waiting times for We pay respect to the Traditional Custodians and First Peoples of NSW, and In 201819, among new allocations to greatest need households, the majority (72%, or 10,800 households) received public housing within one year of the household being on the waiting list (Figure WAITLIST.1). By contrast, far fewer other households who were not in greatest need (38% or 1,800) were allocated housing within a year on the waiting list. This means that we might offer you housing in ANY of the suburbs that are grouped into the allocation zone you are approved for. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 18 July 2019, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/housing-assistance/housing-assistance-in-australia-2019, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. In Queensland and NSW, an applicant who needs social housing because they are fleeing domestic violence needs to provide substantiation. AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2018. Half (50%) of newly allocated households not in greatest need, spent more than two years on the waiting list before public housing allocation. The browser you are using to browse this website is outdated and some features may not display properly or be accessible to you. For SOMIH, over half (58%) of newly allocated households spent less than six months on the waiting list, including 46% who spent less than 3 months. Fluctuations in the numbers of people on waiting lists are not necessarily measures of changes in underlying demand for social housing. around one-fifth were neither greatest need nor special needs (21% or 160) (Figure PRIORITY.3, Supplementary table HOUSEHOLDS.15). Melbourne: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. Fluctuations in the numbers of those on wait lists are not necessarily measures of changes in underlying demand for social housing. University of Technology Sydney provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU. Rules Getting on the social housing list. Households in greatest need may have already spent time on the waiting lists before the greatest need determination. been living in a private rental but has to vacate by 27 February. Table 27 - Tasmania: Waiting times by priority status, 2020 -21 67 Table 28 - Tasmania: Waiting time by age, 2020-2167 Table 29 - Tasmania: Applicants housed in 2020-21 - waiting time by property size . 3 in 10 (29%, or almost 200) newly allocated households in SOMIH were both greatest and special needs households (Supplementary table PRIORITY.S4). In 201718, there were almost 400 new allocations to greatest need households (excludes Tasmania and the Northern Territory as greatest need data was not available). For more information please see the Eligibility for Social Housing Policy. In 201718, 89% of newly allocated SOMIH households in greatest need spent less than 12 months on waiting lists (Figure PRIORITY.4). Housing. a higher proportion had greatest need only (no special needs) (32% or 230 households). Yes, the general eligibility criteria is the same for all types of social housing. Almost half of newly allocated households in public housing went to households with both greatest and special needs (48%, or 9,400 households). 148,500 households on a waiting list for public housing (down from 154,600 at 30 June 2014). If you are approved for priority assistance, you will be listed on the NSW Housing Register on a priority basis. Data on household need status for Indigenous community housing were not available. Emergency Department waiting times in major NSW hospitals. 3,400 households waiting more than 2 years (Supplementary table PRIORITY.4). You cannot apply for priority housing assistance directly. Whenever you apply for social housing, you can choose to receive offers of social housing properties from any social housing provider or from DCJ only or only from community housing providers participating in Housing Pathways. In 201718, there were 20,400 newly allocated households for public housing with a further 1,300 for state owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH) and 15,800 for community housing. Tenants approved for priority housing will be housed ahead of most other applicants on the housing register. For public housing, special needs households include those with: As SOMIH is an Indigenous targeted program, Indigenous households in SOMIH are not considered special needs households. the number of people approved for priority housing who are placed on the list above people who do not have a priority need. An applicants position on the waiting list for their new allocation zone will depend on when they originally applied for social housing and how their housing needs compare to other applicants in the newly chosen allocation zone. Shadow Ella Haddad today visited Tammy Temple who has had a priority housing. 2]. In comparison, 71% of newly allocated households not in greatest need were on the SOMIH waiting list for less than 12 months, including 51% spending less than 3 months (Supplementary table PRIORITY.8). For more detailed information, see Priority groups: greatest and special needs. fiona-cai-7535 updated the dataset Expected Waiting Times for Social Housing. Information for multicultural families and communities, Deliver services to children and families, Toggle sub navigation menu for Applying for housing assistance. We acknowledge the ongoing connection Aboriginal people have to this land and recognise Aboriginal people as the original custodians of this land. Emergency Department waiting times in major NSW hospitals. The relationship between public housing wait lists, public housing tenure and labour market outcomes. On top of that, if theyve just experienced violence they might not feel like running around. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2023. In partnership with Summit we also manage properties in Narrabri and Wee Waa. The proportion of households in greatest need that were newly allocated dwellings was considerably lower in 201819 at 66%. Information for multicultural families and communities, Deliver services to children and families, Toggle sub navigation menu for Applying for housing assistance, Social housing income eligibility limits from 1 July 2022. Based on the available data in 201718, of the new households in community housing in greatest need where the main reason was known (Table PRIORITY.1.3): (a) Whether the household was a new allocation for housing assistance in the financial year. Similarly for SOMIH, newly allocated households in greatest need were less likely than other households to spend an extended period of time on waiting lists. A further 39% were at risk of homelessness (see Assessing greatest need box below). Dockery A, Ong R, Whelan S & Wood G 2008. 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