Policy

Assessment of Housing Need

SDMS ID Number / P2010/0660-001
SDMS Title / Assessment of Housing Need – Policy – P2010/0660-001
Effective From / 15 June 2015
Applies to / Housing Tasmania clients being assessed for housing assistance through Housing Connect.
Custodian / Manager Housing Strategy
Summary / This policy outlines Housing Tasmania’s assessment of need for housing assistance with Housing Tasmania
Replaces Doc. No. / n/a
Author Area / Housing Strategy – Social and Affordable Housing Policy Unit
Contact / Manager, Housing Strategy
Review Date / June 2018
Policy Intent / Housing Tasmania properties are a limited resource which must be directed to those who need it most. It is the aim of Housing Tasmania to offer Priority applicants a suitable property as quickly as possible.
Housing Connect are responsible for completing housing needs assessments.
Application / This policy applies to applicants being assessed for housing assistance with Housing Tasmania through Housing Connect.
Housing Connect / Housing assistance and support assists to stabilise the lives of clients in need. It also helps clients re-entry into education, employment and community life.
One of the overall aims of Housing Connect is to move clients out of crisis accommodation or off the streets into long term affordable accommodation as quickly as possible.
Housing Connect will assess clients as either having a General or Priority housing need, recognising that clients have different needs and some are more urgent than others.
Clients may choose to receive offers for properties managed by community housing organisations instead of, or as well as Housing Tasmania.
Assessment Attributes / For clients who have chosen Housing Tasmania or a Community Housing Organisation as their preferred social housing provider, the Housing Assessment Prioritisation System (HAPS) will be used to assess an applicant’s level of housing need. Each applicant is assessed in relation to the following attributes:
·  Affordability
·  Homelessness
·  Safety
·  Health and Mobility issues
To be assessed as General, applicants must be experiencing at least one of the following:
Affordability- paying between 30 and 49percent of income in rent
Homelessness – must be living somewhere that is below minimum community standards
Health and mobility – must have a condition that is assessed as a GradeB condition (evidence needed).
To be assessed as Priority, applicants must be experiencing at least one of the following:
Affordability- paying more than 80 percent or more of income in rent
Homelessness – must be sleeping rough or live in a run-down property; have nowhere permanent to live and sleep; be moving out of emergency or transitional housing, leaving an institutional facility; have nowhere to live.
Safety – family violence; sexual abuse; non-family violence; children exposed to abuse or neglect
Health and mobility – must have a condition that is assessed as a Grade A condition (evidence needed)
OR
To also be assessed as Priority, applicants must be experiencing both:
Affordability - paying between 50 and 79 percent and one of the following :
Homelessness – must be living somewhere that is below minimum community standard; have nowhere to live or it is short term and wont be extended; somewhere that is unsuitable to live independently or needs to be closer to services
Health and mobility – must have a condition that is assessed as a Grade B condition (evidence needed)
Health and Mobility / If an applicant has health and mobility issues, evidence is required. A relevant health professional must complete the Health and Housing Needs Assessment form. This form focuses on the current health needs of the person and what sort of housing they need.
The information provided by the health professional will help to place an application into Priority or General. This is done by classifying their health and mobility issue as either Grade A or B. The information will help Housing Connect work out the severity and seriousness of the applicant’s health and mobility issues.
Not all applicants will receive a Grade A or Grade B health and mobility result. This will depend on the assessment completed by the health professional.
The wait list / Each applicant is assessed against the assessment system attributes and placed on the waitlist.
People placed into Priority have been assessed as having the highest housing needs. People in Priority will usually be housed first.
People placed in General are assessed as having a moderate need for housing assistance.
Applicants in General may get a housing offer from another social housing provider other than Housing Tasmania. This will depend on whether they meet their eligibility criteria, what is available in the areas they would like to live and whether they agreed to share their information with other housing providers.
It is Housing Tasmania’s aim to house applicants with the highest need first for their duration of housing need.
Changes to Circumstances / Applicants need to let Housing Connect know when their circumstances change. In the majority of cases, applicants will be reassessed.
Changes to an applicant’s situation may change their level of housing need or change the type of property they need. This may happen where household makeup or household situation has changed. For example a household member on the application has moved or died, or someone has been permanently injured. The type of housing assistance required will change. It may change the access to certain types of properties in the social housing system, such as number of bedrooms or a property with specific modifications.
It is important Housing Connect is contacted if there are any changes that might change a housing application. Having accurate and up-to-date information assists in being responsive to housing or support need in a timely way.
If applicant’s circumstances change they may be reassessed. This might result in becoming a General or Priority applicant. This will depend on whether their level of housing need has increased or decreased. When a General applicant is reassessed and becomes a Priority applicant, they will start their wait time as a Priority applicant from the date of the re-assessment.
Awaiting Property Allocation / Applicants must continue to meet Housing Tasmania’s eligibility criteria to remain eligible for housing assistance with Housing Tasmania.
Applicants having an application on the waiting list for housing assistance with Housing Tasmania does not guarantee that a housing offer will be made by Housing Tasmania.
The Rights of Clients / Having somewhere to live that is safe and affordable matters to everyone. The Tasmanian Homelessness Charter Guide is a statement of core values with many of the rights containing elements relevant to this policy:
Treated Fairly: within this theme service principles include:
·  Policies apply equally to everyone.
Choices: within this theme service principles include:
·  Understanding your options and what they mean for you (i.e. informed choice of housing or support services for properties managed by any social housing provider).
Discretion / Discretion allows organisations to be more responsive through early intervention/prevention.
Discretion may be applied to a client’s application for housing assistance and/or support at the time of assessment with Housing Connect.
The area manager with Housing Tasmania has the discretion to make decisions to allocate their vacant property to a client out of order, where a reasonable case has been presented. The decision must be adequately documented on the relevant tenancy file.
This supports the creation of mixed communities which promotes social and economic opportunities for clients.
Legal Framework / This Policy adheres to the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 and the Homes Act 1935.
Exemptions / Nil
Responsibilities/ Delegations / Housing Operations staff members are responsible for ensuring the appropriate application of the policy. Area Managers are responsible for Area management including policy application.
Disclaimer / This is a statewide policy and must not be re-interpreted so that subordinate policies exist. Should discrete operational differences exist, these should be expressed in the form of an operating procedure or protocol .
Audit and Compliance / Failure to comply with this policy, without providing a good reason for doing so, may lead to disciplinary action.
Compliance with this policy is monitored by the Manager Housing Services, through the delegated Area Managers.
Compliance with this policy, without providing a good reason for doing so may lead to disciplinary action.
Procedures and Forms / Consent to share client information
Health and Housing Needs Assessment form (Housing Connect)
Related Policies / Consent to Share Client Information Policy
Housing Tasmania Eligibility Policy
Housing Assessment Prioritisation System Policy
Allocation Interview with Housing Tasmania Policy
Bedroom Entitlement Policy
Proof of Identity Policy
Outstanding Debt Policy
Policy Title and Version / Assessment of Need version 5.0
Effective Date / 15 June 2015
Review Date / June 2018
Document Number / P2010/0660-001
Replaces Document Number / n/a
Custodian / Housing Tasmania, Social and Affordable Housing Policy
Approved by / Manager Housing Strategy

This Policy may be varied, withdrawn or replaced at any time. Compliance with this directive is mandatory for the Department of Health and Human Services. Please Destroy Printed Copies. The electronic version of this Policy is the approved and current version and is located on the Agency’s intranet. Any printed version is uncontrolled and therefore not current.

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