PUBLIC HOUSING WAITING LISTS
1004. Hon ALISON XAMON to the minister representing the
Minister for Housing:
I refer to the article ''Life inside tent city''
in The Sunday Times of 20 September and the concerns raised regarding
public housing waitlist processes.
(1) Does the
minister intend to address concerns that people get sent to the back of the
waitlist queue if they do not accept an offer within three days, even if they
did not receive the offer because they are homeless?
(2) If yes —
(a) how will these concerns be
addressed; and
(b) when will this work take
place?
Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
On behalf of the Minister for Environment, I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
The Department of Communities is committed to assisting
homeless people. Homeless people have complex issues and the Department of
Communities works to ensure people have access to appropriate services.
(1) When
clients on the public housing waiting list are made an offer of accommodation,
the Department of Communities will make every effort to contact the client by
telephone advising them of the offer and process and that they have between
three and five days to either accept or decline the offer. A formal letter is sent as a follow-up. Extensions to this
time frame may be considered on a case-by-case basis. If the client
cannot be contacted by phone, an offer letter and brochure is sent to the
current address provided. Although clients
are responsible for keeping the Department of Communities updated with current
contact details, this can be difficult for clients who are transient and
often move from place to place. If no response is received within the time
frame from the client, before the offer can be withdrawn, the Department of
Communities makes three alternative contact attempts. This can be done through
contacting the next of kin and known family or friends, local community
agencies and/or advocates, or by using other resources such as the White
Pages or internet search engines. All three attempts can be made in a single
day or spread over no more than a one-week period. If there is no response
within the required time frame, the offer is withdrawn and their housing
application is withdrawn from the waiting list. When an application is
withdrawn, the client will always have the option to appeal the decision. If the
client contacts the Department of Communities within 12 months of the
application being withdrawn due to no contact, their application may be
reinstated with the original listing date.
(2) Not applicable.