Matching Clients and Properties - ALL0090A

• Clients with needs that can be met by the type, width and location of the particular property

• Clients that meet Aboriginal Housing Office eligibility criteria

• Clients who have expressed interest in being matched to a property managed by a community housing provider

A Local Allocation Strategy (LAS) is a specific allocation approach for a local area. When there is a Local Allocation Strategy in place, Housing NSW considers the needs of the community living in the local area as well as making sure that the client is matched to a property that meets their needs. Local Allocation Strategies are written down and regularly reviewed.

• Clients who meet the household profile sought under the Local Allocation Strategy.

• Clients over 55 years of age
• Clients who receive a disability support pension (regardless of age)
• A client whose partner (married or de facto) is aged over 55 years or receives a disability support pension

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients who are 45 years of age or over
• Clients aged 55 years or over who are not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients who are 45 years of age or over
• Clients aged 55 years or over who are not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• Two person adult households where at least one person is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander who is over 45 years of age, or one person who is 55 years or over who is not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

• Clients who have demonstrated a need for a modified property

• Clients who have demonstrated a need for a ground floor property

• Clients who have demonstrated a need for a property with level access

• Clients who have demonstrated a need for a backyard

• Clients who have elected to be considered for this type of property

Public, Aboriginal Housing Office or Community Housing

Housing NSW will match the client to public housing properties

Housing NSW will:

• Include matches to Aboriginal Housing Office properties if the client has been approved for Aboriginal Housing Office housing
• Include matches to community housing managed properties if the client has agreed to be considered for Nomination to a Community Housing managed property

Location of property

• Where the client is required to undertake a Locational Needs Assessment
  Housing NSW will match to the allocation zone  the client has been approved for
• For all other clients, Housing NSW will match to the allocation zone requested by the client

Housing NSW will:

• Match to specific locations within an allocation zone when the client has demonstrated a need for this allocation zone
• Not match a client to a property in an area covered by a Local Allocation Strategy unless the client’s household meets the profile sought under the Strategy
• Take into consideration any geographical boundaries/restrictions agreed to in an Operating Agreement for an Accord partnership.  For further information refer to NSW Housing and Human Services Accord

For clients added to the Housing Register on or after 20 October 1999

Housing NSW will match to a house, townhouse or unit (other than a high rise unit) according to availability

Housing NSW will:

• Match a client to a specific type of property if the client has demonstrated a need for this type of property
• Match a client to properties with specific features (such as ground floor property, property with level access, modified property, property with a maximum number of stairs) if the client has demonstrated a need for this type of property.
• Not match a client to properties that have specific features if the client has demonstrated that these features would make the property unsuitable for them.
• Include matches to high rise units if the client has agreed to be considered for a high rise property
• Where possible,  match households with young children to properties with yards, subject to availability.

For clients added to the Housing Register before 20 October 1999

Prior to 20 October 1999, clients were able to request either a house (cottage, townhouse or villa) or a unit/flat. This entitlement is retained by clients who have not changed their requested allocation zone or property type since 20 October 1999.

Clients who were added to the Housing Register before 20 October 1999 and have either changed their allocation zone or told Housing NSW that their requested property type is no longer suitable will be matched to a house, townhouse or unit (other than a high rise unit) according to availability

For clients added to the Housing Register on or after 20 October 1999

Housing NSW will match to a bedroom allocation based on the width of the client’s household. The minimum bedroom entitlements used by Housing NSW are set out in the Bedroom Entitlement table below.

Housing NSW may match a household to a property larger than their minimum entitlement. This will happen if Housing NSW has a larger property available and  Housing NSW’s operating procedures allow it to be allocated to the household.

Housing NSW will

• Match Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients to a property that has one more bedroom than the minimum bedroom entitlement for the household, if the client has requested this.
• Housing NSW has this policy in recognition of the family responsibilities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients can ask for an extra bedroom on their Housing Register application or at any time while they are on the Housing Register.
• Match to a bedroom allocation above the minimum entitlement if the client has demonstrated a need for a property of this width. For example, Housing NSW will allocate an additional room for a family member or carer to stay in if the client has demonstrated a need for this.
• where possible, consider the future accommodation needs of children in the household.
• Include matches to bedsitter properties if the client is a single person household and has elected to be considered for a bedsitter property

For clients added to the Housing Register before 20 October 1999

Housing NSW will either match to the bedroom entitlement:

• approved at the time of entry to the Housing Register, or
• if this does not disadvantage the client, the bedroom allocation offered to clients added to the Housing Register from 20 October 1999

Single

1

Couple

1

1 or 2 adults with 1 - 2 children

2

1 or 2 adults with 3 - 4 children

3

1 or 2 adults with 5 or more children

4

Two or more single adults

One bedroom per adult

Extended families

1 bedroom per single adult or couple and 1 - 2 children per bedroom

Over 18 yrs

Children over 18 years of age

• Considered to be an adult when calculating the minimum bedroom entitlement.

Shared bedrooms

Children expected to share a bedroom

• Same sex children up to 18 years of age to share a bedroom
• Male and female children to share a bedroom until one of the children reaches 10 years of age.

Children can share a bedroom

Client has demonstrated a need for same sex children, or children under 10 years of age, to have separate bedrooms

Examples of situations where an extra bedroom could be appropriate include where there is a large age gap between the children or behavioural factors.

• Housing NSW will allocate an additional bedroom.

Shared custody

Clients with shared custody of children

• The child/children are considered to be part of the household if the client has shared custody of children for 3 days per week or more. Normal bedroom entitlements apply.

Access visits

Clients who need to accommodate access visits from children

• The children are not considered to be part of the household if they visit for less than 3 days per week.
• The client must demonstrate a need for an extra bedroom to accommodate access visits. See Evidence Requirements for more information.

Future needs of children

Children will need separate bedrooms in 2 or 3 years time

• Housing NSW will take this into account when matching the client to a property if it can. Housing NSW will make this decision on a case by case basis according to the width and type of housing that is available in the area.

Ground floor

or

Level access

Need for a ground floor property or a property with level access

• Medical Assessment Form (DH3008) completed by the client’s doctor & substantiating the need for a ground floor property/ level access and/or
• letters or reports from relevant support providers

Modified property

Need for a property modified for people with a disability (eg. wheelchair access, modifications needed to make the property suitable for the client)

• For minor modifications, Medical Assessment Form (DH3008) completed by the client’s health care professional & substantiating the need for property modifications
• For major modifications, an Occupational Therapist report stating the type of modifications or property specifications needed

Specific property features are unsuitable

Need to show that the presence of certain features would make the property unsuitable (eg the number of stairs in the property, need for fencing, no carpet for health reasons, positioning of handles & locks, screen doors etc)

• Medical Assessment Form (DH3008) completed by the client’s doctor & substantiating that certain property features would be unsuitable

Yards

Need for a yard (eg to house a client’s guide dog, to accommodate physical therapy equipment, to address the health needs of a household member)

• Documentation substantiating the need for a yard. Note: Stronger substantiation of the need for a yard is be needed in allocation zones where there are few properties with yards.
• If the yard is needed for medical/health reasons - Medical Assessment Form (DH3008) completed by the client’s doctor & substantiating the need for the yard and/or letters or reports from relevant support providers

Location within allocation zone

Need for a property located in a specific part of an allocation zone (eg to access cultural supports, a specific medical practitioner, a special school or to meet cultural needs)

• Documentation substantiating the need for the specific location. See the Locational Needs policy for information about the type of information that Housing NSW will ask for.

Shared custody

Client has shared custody of children and needs a property large enough to accommodate them

Substantiation of the shared custody arrangement through information such as one or more of the following:

• Documentation from the Family Court
• Statutory declaration from the client
• Centrelink payment information
• Bank account details

Extra bedroom

Need for an extra bedroom

Due to medical condition or disability

For example:

• extra space for storage of medical equipment
• room for family member or carer to stay when providing short term support due to hospitalisation or illness
• separate room for partner if a disability, or routines associated with a disability, require the couple to sleep separately

Documentation from the client’s health care professional (eg doctor, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, or psychiatrist) that supports the need for an extra bedroom

Due to family reasons

For example:

• to accommodate regular access visits from children 
• to accommodate weekend access visits from children
• to accommodate regular visits from grandchildren for care or custody reasons

Documentary evidence that access visits occur at least fortnightly or during school holidays, such as one or more of the following:

• Receipt of part payment of Family Tax Benefit A or B
• Statutory Declaration signed by the parent providing primary care
• Family Court papers stating access arrangements
• Letter from support worker or advocate.
•  In the case of care related visits from grandchildren, reasonable substantiation of the reason for the visits

• To enable regular care of aged parents

Documentation such as a letter from the client’s doctor, advocate or support worker that confirms care is required regularly (ie of several weeks duration, several times a year) and supports the need for an extra bedroom

• To meet extended family responsibilities

Information demonstrating the need to meet extended family responsibilities. Housing NSW will consider these requests on a case by case basis according to the specific circumstances of the situation.