We are committed to providing safe, low cost and culturally appropriate housing and tenancy services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in NSW.
Types of social housing
There are 3 types of social housing available for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people:
- Public housing – properties managed by Homes NSW. Aboriginal applicants have the same right to be housed in public housing as all other applicants.
- Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) homes – properties owned by the AHO and managed by Homes NSW. Applicants must meet the AHO Eligibility for Services policy.
- Community housing – properties managed by community housing providers.
Applying for housing
To apply for social housing, you should:
- read the Applying for Social Housing factsheet
- complete the Housing Pathways online application form
- visit your local DCJ Housing office.
Eligibility for social housing
To be eligible for social housing, which includes Aboriginal housing, you must:
- live in NSW
- have an income that is within current limits as outlined in the Income Limits factsheet
- not own, or part-own a home
- repay, or agree to repay, any outstanding money you owe to DCJ Housing or AHO.
If you want an AHO home that is looked after by DCJ Housing you must show proof of Aboriginality. You can do this by completing a DCJ Housing, Aboriginal Housing Office Declaration form.
Unsatisfactory former tenants
If you have been deemed an unsatisfactory former tenant of the AHO or DCJ, we will ask you to rent in the private market for at least six months. If you can rent in the private market with no problems, we will put your name back on the NSW Housing Register. When it is your turn to be housed, we will offer a lease of six months. If you breach the lease, no extension will be offered. If you are a satisfactory tenant over this time, we will offer to extend your lease for 2, 5 or 10 years.
Housing wait times
When you apply for an Aboriginal Housing property the time you wait depends on things such as the number of:
• homes becoming available as others leave
• people who have been waiting longer than you
• people we have approved for priority housing or priority transfer because we will house these people before other people.
AHO are unable to advise of wait times however, the DCJ website outlines approximate wait times in your area via. These are only set as a guide.
If there is long wait in the area where you want to live, you may need to discuss this with your housing provider and look at other locations with shorter wait times.
Rent
Paying the rent
You can pay your rent:
- online
- through the Rent Deduction Scheme
- at Australia Post
- 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 FACS Housing. 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.
Help with paying the rent
- 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. For more information about Rentstart Bond Loans, read the factsheet on the DCJ website or visit your local DCJ Housing or participating community housing provider office or call the Housing Contact Centre on 1800 422 322.
- Apply or housing assistance - NSW residents can apply for rental assistance if they meet income and other eligibility requirements.
Experiencing homelesness
If you don’t have a place to stay, you can get help from:
- Homeless Persons Information Centre on 9265 9087 Sydney city area or 1800 234 566 for all other areas
- your local DCJ Housing office
- the Temporary Accommodation Line on 1800 152 152 can help with accommodation in the Sydney city area and some NSW district areas.
For current tenants
Transferring homes or moving out
DCJ provide information about transferring to a more suitable home, swapping homes and moving out of social housing on their website,
If you are leaving your home and aren’t planning to come back, you should 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.
Help with tenancy issues
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 problems if you are renting. You can ring them on Freecall 1800 500 330. You can also contact your local Aboriginal Tenancy Advocacy Service.
If you are having any troubles 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.
The Aboriginal Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Program (TAAP) is also available.
Managing disruptive neighbours
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 about what is going on.
Visitors
Friends and family can come and stay with you for up to four weeks. If they stay longer than four weeks and you want them to stay in your home, you must fill in an Application for Additional Occupant. If you do not tell us when someone else is staying with you for longer than four weeks, the help we give with the rent could be stopped. If someone moves into your home full-time and you do not tell us, this is fraud.
In general, tenants do not need DCJ Housing approval to have a visitor stay with them for up to four weeks (28 days). However, in certain cases, DCJ Housing can apply a visitor sanction (three-day rule) to a tenancy. This means that if DCJ Housing has proof that you haven’t kept to your tenancy agreement, DCJ Housing can stop you having visitors staying for more than three days without telling DCJ Housing.
If you live in an AHO home, then the AHO must also agree to this visitor sanction. This approval from the AHO will be managed by your DCJ Housing client service officer.
Leaving your home for more than six weeks
If you need to leave your home for more than six weeks, you must tell DCJ Housing how long you will be away by contacting your client service officer or writing to us. You will need to tell DCJ Housing even if there are other family members in your home while you are gone.
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 Housing Contact Centre as soon as possible on 1800 422 322 if any repairs need to be done in your home. If you have anyone over to visit in your home and they damage it, you will have to pay for the repairs.
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 DCJ Housing sending you a message in writing.
Helpful contacts
- Call the Housing Contact Centre on 1800 422 322 if you need your AHO or DCJ Housing home fixed. The Housing Contact Centre is open 24 hours, seven days a week, year-round.
- Call the Aboriginal Enquiry Line on 1800 422 322 for help with housing and rental issues. If an Aboriginal staff member is not there when you ring, you can leave a message or speak to a non-Aboriginal staff member.
More information
If you have further questions:
- contact your local DCJ Housing office
- visit the DCJ Housing website.
It is illegal for you or anyone else to offer money or favours or other benefits of any kind to an officer of DCJ Housing in exchange for helping you. If you have any information regarding this, please contact Business Assurance on 1800 422 322. DCJ Housing may refuse the provision of further housing services to anyone who has engaged or sought to engage in corrupt or illegal conduct.
