The New Housing Assessment SystemFact Sheet A new systemHousing Tasmania has changed how people are assessed for housing through Housing Connect. The new system is fairer. It will ensure that Tasmanians with the greatest need are housed first. It is called the Housing Assessment Prioritisation System. This new system will begin on Monday 15 June 2015.What is changing?Under the new system, applicants are assessed as either Priority Housing or General Housing. This change replaces the old system of Categories 1 to 4.Why have things changed?The old assessment system was developed a long time ago. The old system was not well suited to the new housing environment. Housing Tasmania is now one of five large housing organisations. Housing assessments are now done by Housing Connect.The new system is fairer. It is better at working out who has a high housing need and who needs to be helped first.What has happened to my housing application?You are still on the housing waitlist. But the old Categories 1, 2, 3 and 4 no longer exist.We have translated your application and put it into either Priority or General. All people on the housing waitlist have received a letter saying if their application is now Priority or General. The letter also includes your old Category.Your application was translated based on the information you gave us when you were last assessed. We contacted some people if we needed more information. If you were not contacted, then your original application included enough information for the new system. If your situation has changed since your last assessment, you must call Housing Connect on 1800 800 588 to be reassessed.

How applications are assessed The new assessment process is better and fairer for everyone. Housing Connect can now focus on what the applicant needs instead of working out what points should be allocated.

Page 1 of 11

Version 1.0 June 2015

The old Housing Assessment System used points and put people into Category 1, 2, 3 or 4. People in Category 1 had the highest need for a home.

Page 2 of 11

The new system doesn’t use points or the old Categories. The way applicants are now assessed is based on:

Whether you can afford to pay the rent where you live (‘affordability’) Whether you are homeless, might lose your home, living in a shelter, leaving an

institution, or are living with friends and family for a while (‘homelessness’) Whether you are safe from the harm of other people e.g. family violence (‘safety’) Your physical and mental health issues including whether you can walk around

easily and get to where you need to be, living with disability or can cope with daily life (‘health and mobility’)

Applications assessed are then put into Priority or General on the housing waitlist. This is how the new assessment process now works:

Page 3 of 11

Page 4 of 11

I am in Priority. What does this mean?This means your high housing need was recognised when your application was translated using the new system. People in Priority will usually be housed first.

I am in General. What does this mean?This means your housing need was recognised when we translated your application, but it is assessed as being not as urgent as people in Priority. Applicants in General may get a housing offer from another social housing provider other than Housing Tasmania. This will depend on whether you meet their eligibility criteria, what is available in the areas you would like to live and whether you agreed to share your information with other housing providers. If you are unsure, please call Housing Connect about your application on 1800 800 588.

Questions and answersBelow are a number of questions and answers about the Housing Assessment Prioritisation System. Some of them may help you understand your situation. Others may not be relevant to you. Hopefully this information will help you find out what you need to know about your circumstances.You might like to keep this fact sheet somewhere safe. Then you can refer to it whenever you need to.Why is my application now in General when it used to be in a high Category?Your application has moved to General based on your housing needs. We need to make sure we help people first who are homeless, who have safety concerns or significant health and mobility issues.If you believe this is wrong or things have changed recently for you, please talk to Housing Connect about your application on 1800 800 588.

Why is my application now in Priority when it used to be in a low Category?If your application has moved to Priority, this is because we have assessed you as having more urgent housing needs than applicants in General. We want to make sure people with the highest housing need are helped first.

I need a house now, why wasn’t I in a high Category before?Your application was assessed using the old points based assessment criteria. Using the information you gave us at the time, your application was placed into the relevant Category.We changed to a new way of assessing because some people with a high housing need were not being recognised.

Page 5 of 11

If the translation of your application using the new system has moved you from a lower category to Priority Housing, this means your high level of housing need has been recognised.What if I don’t agree with the changes?We want you to understand the changes and what they mean for you. If you would like to talk to someone about the letter sent to you and/or this fact sheet you can call Housing Tasmania on 1300 665 663. If you need your housing application to be reassessed, please contact Housing Connect on 1800 800 588.If you are still unhappy after being reassessed with Housing Connect, you should contact Housing Tasmania on 1300 665 663 and ask about the Housing Review Committee.I have a transfer application. Am I still on the waitlist?Your transfer application has been translated as either General or Priority. Please check the letter you received from Housing Tasmania. This will tell you if your application is now General or Priority. Transfer applicants are treated in the same way as other applicants under the new system. But you still need a valid reason to transfer and must have a housing need to stay on the housing waitlist.What if I need a transfer in the future?You need to talk to Housing Tasmania first if you want to ask for a transfer. To transfer you need to:• have a reason to transfer, such as health issues or family violence for example• have a good tenancy history• have no unpaid debts with Housing Tasmania • have a good rent account that is up to date• be on a low income• not have a Notice to Vacate on your current tenancy.If you meet the above, you will be given a form to take to Housing Connect, showing you are able to transfer. Housing Connect cannot do the assessment if you do not give them this form.Housing Connect will assess your housing need using the new system. They will also talk to you about all your housing and support options. Please call Housing Tasmania on 1300 665 663 if you are a Housing Tasmania tenant and want to talk about a transfer.What if I am in a Better Housing Futures managed property and want a transfer?

Page 6 of 11

You need to talk to your Better Housing Futures housing manager first if you want to ask for a transfer.If you want to move to another property within your Better Housing Futures suburbs, your Better Housing Futures housing manager will talk through your options. If you want to move to another social housing home outside of the areas managed by your current Better Housing Futures provider, you will need to speak to your housing manager who will check your tenancy history. If they agree to your request to transfer they will provide you with a form to take to Housing Connect, showing you are able to transfer. Housing Connect cannot do the assessment if you do not give them this form.You can call Housing Connect about a housing needs assessment on 1800 800 588.I only want a community housing home. Will I get an offer from Housing Tasmania?No. When you were assessed, you only wanted to be offered a community housing home. Housing Tasmania is making the changes to the assessment process but your application choices have not changed. If you have changed your mind about this, please call Housing Connect on 1800 800 588.

Page 7 of 11

The letter says my application is suspended. What does this mean?Your application was suspended before we translated your application using the new system. This means that you will not be offered a Housing Tasmania home until the reason for suspending the application is fixed. You may, for example, have a housing debt you need to repay first.If you don’t know the reason your housing application is suspended, please contact Housing Tasmania on 1300 665 663.My public housing application is suspended, but I also want community housing?When you applied for housing, you might have asked for a Housing Tasmania public housing property as well as community housing. Your suspension for public housing does not affect your application for community housing. The community housing organisations can still see your application. You may be offered a property from one of those organisations while your public housing application is suspended.If your application is suspended with a community housing organisation, they will let you know.Do I keep my old application wait time?You have kept the same wait time on your application when we translated it using the new system.. The wait time is the time from when your application was last assessed or reassessed. We want to make sure you don’t have to wait longer than you need to.What if I am homeless and still waiting for a house?Public housing isn’t the only housing option for you. You need to consider all your options to have a better chance of being housed sooner. Because a lot of people need an affordable home, there is still a housing wait list. This process makes it fair for everyone applying for a home.While you are waiting, you should talk to Housing Connect about short term housing and other options to public housing. They can be contacted on 1800 800 588. Housing Connect can help you work out all your housing and support options. Will the changes mean I will get a house faster?The new assessment system does not mean you will be offered a home faster than before. By introducing the new system, Housing Connect has a better understanding of people’s housing need. The new system is fairer and better at supporting people who need help the most.I have an application in for Aboriginal Housing, has my Category for Aboriginal Housing also changed?

Page 8 of 11

No, your Category for Aboriginal Housing will stay the same. Aboriginal Housing applications are assessed using criteria specific to Aboriginal people. The way that Aboriginal Housing applications are assessed has not changed.Do people still go to Housing Connect for housing and support help?People still apply for housing help through Housing Connect. This includes anyone needing social housing, private rental assistance and help people wanting to transfer. Housing Connect also help with support for people that need it.

Page 9 of 11

Why is this letter from Housing Tasmania when Housing Connect does the assessments?Housing Tasmania has developed the new assessment system. This new system will now be used by Housing Connect. Housing Connect will complete the housing assessments using the new system. You will talk to staff from Housing Connect about your housing need. Any future letters about your housing application will come from Housing Connect. If you are unsure of where your letter has come from, please call Housing Connect on 1800 800 588.How do I cancel my application?If you want to cancel your application please contact Housing Connect on 1800 800 588.

What if I need urgent help?

If you are in an emergency situation, please contact 000 immediately or call the Family Violence Response and Referral Line on 1800 633 937. They are open 24 hours, seven days a week.

Where do I go for more information?If you would like to speak to someone about this fact sheet and the changes, please call us. An easy English version of this fact sheet will be available soon.

Housing Tasmania 1300 665 663

Housing Connect 1800 800 588

TTY users phone 133 677, then ask for 1300 13 55 13Speak and Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 1300 13 55 13Internet relay users connect to the NRS then ask for 1300 13 55 13

Department of Health and Human ServicesGPO Box 125HOBART TAS 7001

Page 10 of 11

www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/housing

Page 11 of 11