Social Housing is rental housing for people on very low to moderate incomes who may be experiencing ‘rental stress’ in the private market. It includes housing which is owned or managed by the NSW State Government, by community housing organisations or by the Aboriginal Housing Office.
Community Housing Providers (CHPs) are not-for-profit organisations that are managed by boards and work in partnership with government, communities and partners to provide housing services and assistance to low and moderate income earners.
SGCH is a Tier 1 CHP under the National Regulatory System Community Housing. This means we are a growth provider, managing a large portfolio of properties and undertaking community housing development projects that use private sector funds and investment.
In Australia in 2017-18, over 1 million low-income households were in financial ‘housing stress’, spending more than 30% of their income on housing and facing difficulties meeting basic living costs.
In comparison to similar countries, Australia has quite a small percentage of social housing properties available which is continuing to decline from 5.1% of all housing stock in 2001 to 4.2% in 2016. In contrast, countries such as the United Kingdom have about 20% of all housing stock devoted to social housing.
There are currently almost 60,000 eligible applicants waiting for a home in Social Housing in NSW. The size of this list reflects the inadequate supply of affordable housing for people on lower income households living in NSW and specifically, Sydney.
To be eligible for Social Housing, applicants must:
Find out more about eligibility.
Social Housing applicants fill out a single application form to apply for properties managed by Department of Communities and Justice – Housing (DCJ Housing) and Community Housing Providers (CHPs). This application process is managed centrally through the ‘Housing Pathways’ system – which ensures that the criteria for assessing eligibility for Social Housing applies once across the board.
Housing Pathways incorporates a single waiting list that operates across the state. This means that applicants can choose whether they would like to be housed with DCJ Housing or a CHP. If they elect both, this may increase their chances of being housed. Additionally, the application process is made easier through Housing Pathways because applicants can choose to go to any participating CHP or local DCJ Housing office to lodge their application, update their details or make enquiries about the progress of their application.
For more information about Housing Pathways, please refer to the following Housing Pathways Fact Sheets.
To apply for Social Housing, please go to the Housing Pathways website where you can apply online for housing. Please read the Evidence Requirements Information Sheet (DH3001A) to find out what evidence you will need to provide to support your application.
You may also need to complete the Medical Assessment (DH3008) (Optional – one Assessment for each family member with a medical condition affecting what type of property is required. You will need to complete this with your health care professional.)
Waiting times vary greatly depending upon the allocation zone that an applicant identifies that they would like to live in, when completing their application form. Additionally, waiting times can vary depending on the number of people that are approved for priority housing, who are placed on the list ahead of people who do not have priority needs.
To increase the chance of being allocated a home as soon as possible, it is recommended that applicants elect to be housed by either Housing NSW or a Community Housing Provider.
For more information about Social Housing waiting times, please refer to Waiting Times for Social Housing and the Interactive Expected Waiting Times Dashboard.
We strive to ensure that our properties will meet the needs of our customers now and into the future. Our properties range from bedsits to larger family homes with multiple bedrooms. We generally allocate properties according to priority, date of application and the suitability of available properties to the applicant’s household size and composition
In most cases, Social Housing customers are eligible for a rent subsidy which results in them paying rent based on 25 -30% of their gross household income, plus 100% of the Commonwealth Rent Assistance. For more information, go to our Rent Fact Sheet.