Housing options for Aboriginal people

Social housing options for Aboriginal people

There are 3 types of social housing available for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people:

1. Public housing – these properties are managed by Homes NSW.
2. Community housing properties – these properties are managed by community housing providers.
3. Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) homes – these are properties owned by the Aboriginal Housing Office and managed by Homes NSW, for clients who meet the AHO Eligibility for Services policy. 
    

Aboriginal applicants have the same right to be housed in social housing as all other applicants. 

If you would prefer an AHO property, either you or a household member must meet the AHO Eligibility for Services policy.

Finding housing in your location

To work out the types of housing offered in your location refer to the Allocation Zone Locator or call the Housing Response Centre on 1800 422 322, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Eligibility for social housing

To be eligible for social housing, including public, community and Aboriginal housing, you must:

• live in NSW
• have an income that is within current income limits
• not own or part-own a property
• repay or agree to repay, any outstanding money you owe to Homes NSW, a community housing provider, or the Aboriginal Housing Office.

For information about how to confirm your Aboriginality, refer to item 3 on the Evidence requirements information sheet.

How to apply for housing

To apply for social housing, you should:

• read the applying for social housing  page
• complete an online application for housing assistance, or
• call the Housing Response Centre on 1800 422 322, or
• visit your local housing office.

Wait times for social housing

How long the wait is for social housing in your preferred area depends on such things as:

• the number of properties becoming available as others leave
• the number of people who’ve been waiting longer than you
• the number of people who are approved for priority housing or priority transfer, as they will be housed ahead of others.

If it will be a long wait in your preferred area, you may want to choose another location so that you may be housed quicker.

Check wait times in your preferred area

Information for former tenants

When you submit an application for social housing, the provider who managed your previous tenancy will review you tenancy history. They will assess your eligibility for social housing and any conditions you must meet before a request for housing assistance can be approved.

If you are a former unsatisfactory tenant of Homes NSW or the Aboriginal Housing Office, you will be asked to rent in the private market for at least 6 months. 

If you have successfully rented in the private market with no problems, you will be placed back on the NSW Housing Register if you meet the eligibility criteria. 

If a suitable (public housing or Aboriginal Housing Office) property becomes available, you will be offered a lease of 6 months. 

You will be offered an extension to your lease for 2, 5 or 10 years if you have satisfied your lease agreement during that time. An extension will not be offered if there are any breaches to your lease agreement during that period.

Other help and assistance

You need to be eligible for social housing to receive other types of assistance. Aboriginal people can expect to receive respect, good service and correct information from staff. Find out more about other housing services offered.

Homes NSW has a Commitment to Improving Service Delivery to Aboriginal People which outlines the programs in place to help Aboriginal people and an action plan.

Rentstart

Through Rentstart, Aboriginal people can apply for financial support to help them move into their own private rental property. To apply for Rentstart you will need to find an affordable place to rent.

If you qualify for a Rentstart Bond Loan, Homes NSW will help you out with an interest-free loan of up to 100% of the bond money so you can move into your own place.

If the landlord or real estate agent has not made a claim on the bond at the end of your tenancy, Homes NSW will return any money you have paid off your loan.

For more information about Rentstart Bond Loans, visit your local Homes NSW office or participating community housing provider office or call the Housing Response Centre on 1800 422 322.

Help for homeless people

If you don’t have a place to stay, find out how to get help if you need accommodation.

Useful contacts

The Maintenance Hub

The Maintenance Hub is the place to call if you need your Aboriginal Housing Office, Homes NSW or Social Housing Management Transfer community housing provider home fixed. The Maintenance Hub is open 24 hours, 7 days a week, every day of the year. 

Phone 1800 422 322 and follow the instruction prompts when you call.

Client feedback line

Homes NSW encourages you to tell us about its services. You can tell us good things or if you have a problem with what we are doing. If the problem is about a staff member, a more senior staff member will look at it for you.

Phone: 1800 422 322 

Email: feedback@facs.nsw.gov.au 

Aboriginal enquiry line

A Homes NSW Aboriginal staff member is available on the Housing Response Centre phone line Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm. They can help you with your housing and rental issues. If an Aboriginal staff member is not there when you call, you can leave a message. An Aboriginal staff member will call you back as soon as they can. You can talk to a non-Aboriginal staff member if you want.

Phone: 1800 422 322

Getting help with managing your Homes NSW tenancy

If you want to know more about what you need to do when you rent a home, talk to a Client Service Officer or call the Aboriginal Enquiry Line. 

NSW Fair Trading will also help you with renting problems through their freecall Aboriginal enquiry line: 1800 500 330

You can also contact your local Aboriginal Tenants Advice Service.

If you are having any trouble with tenancy issues and need some more help you can sign a disclosure form. This means that we can talk to your support person or worker with your permission.

Tips for living in a Homes NSW-managed home

Paying the rent

You can pay your rent using any of our payment options. These include:

• online
• through the Rent Deduction Scheme
• at a Service NSW Centre
• BPAY©
• by direct debit from your bank account.

The Rent Deduction Scheme is an easy way to pay rent if you receive Centrelink payments. This lets you have rent taken from your payment and sent straight to Homes NSW.

If you are having trouble paying your rent, speak to your client service officer as soon as possible. Tell them what is happening and work out a way to fix it.

Enjoying your home

You have the right to enjoy your home and live without noisy and rude neighbours. We want you to feel safe in your home. If you are having trouble, try to sort out the problem with your neighbour. If this does not work, talk to your client service officer at your local Homes NSW office about what is going on.

Visitors

Friends and family can come and stay with you for up to 4 weeks. If they stay longer than 4 weeks and continue to stay in your property, you must fill in an application for an additional occupant. If you do not tell us when someone else is staying with you for longer than 4 weeks, the help we give with the rent could be stopped. If someone moves into your property full time and you do not tell us, this is fraud.

In general, tenants do not need Homes NSW approval to have a visitor stay with them for up to 4 weeks (28 days). However, in certain cases, Homes NSW can apply a visitor sanction (3-day rule) to a tenancy. This means that if Homes NSW have proof that you haven’t kept to your tenancy agreement, we can stop you having visitors staying for more than 3 days without telling us.

If you live in an Aboriginal Housing Office property, the Aboriginal Housing Office must also agree to this visitor sanction. This approval from the  Aboriginal Housing Office will be managed by your Homes NSW client service officer.

Leaving your Homes NSW-managed home for more than 6 weeks

If you need to leave your home for more than 6 weeks, you must tell Homes NSW how long you will be away by contacting your client service officer or writing to us. You will need to tell Homes NSW even if there are other family members in your home while you are gone.

Leaving your home for good

If you are leaving your home and aren’t planning to come back, you must tell your client service officer three weeks before you go. If you leave without telling us, you will still have to pay the rent and may have to pay for any damages that happen.

Property damage

If you have any rubbish at your home, you will need to remove it properly. Please do not burn rubbish in the garden or yard. Please phone the Maintenance Hub as soon as possible if any repairs need to be done in your home.

Calling the Maintenance Hub

Phone 1800 422 322 and follow the instruction prompts when you call.

If you have anyone over to visit in your home and they damage it, you will have to pay for the repairs.

Being a good neighbour

Please make sure that all household members and visitors respect your neighbours’ right to peace and quiet.

Pets

If you have a pet, you must make sure the pet is not causing a problem to others. If we decide that your pet is causing problems for neighbours, you must remove the pet from your home within 48 hours of Homes NSW sending you a message in writing.

More information