Eligibility

To ensure that social housing assists clients who are in most need, the eligibility criteria for social housing concentrates on assisting;

• Clients on low income that need support to help them live independently, and
• Clients on low income that have problems finding sourcing and priority for clients seeking social housing. All participating providers will accept the outcome of this assessment. When an assessment is complete, the provider will notify the client in writing of the outcome of the assessment.

To be eligible for social housing, a household income must be within the social housing income-eligibility limits that are outlined in the table below. This table shows the maximum gross weekly income each household member can earn and gives some examples of maximum income limits for different household types (based on the number of adults and children). Households that exceed these income limits are not eligible for social housing.

Social housing income eligibility limits from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011

To be eligible for social housing, clients must also:

• Be a citizen or have permanent residency in Australia, and
• Be resident in New South Wales (NSW), and
• Establish their identity, and
• Have a household income within the income eligibility limits, and
• Not own any assets or property which could reasonably be expected to resolve their housing need, and
• Be able to sustain a successful tenancy, with or without support, and
• If applicable, make repayments of any former debts to a social housing provider, and
• In general be at least 18 years of age.