Adequate accommodation

To qualify for Relocate for Work Support the client must have obtained accommodation in their new location that is adequate for themselves and any immediate family moving with them.

What is adequate depends on the circumstances of the client and their immediate family (if any) and must be considered on a case-by-case basis.

To decide whether the client has obtained adequate accommodation for themselves and their immediate family (if any), MSD should consider the following factors:

• health and disability needs e.g. wheelchair access, accessible toilets, or showers
• distance to essential services e.g. travel to a hospital for dialysis
• safety of environment e.g. there are no drugs, violence, or other unsafe behaviours, property is safe for children
• proximity to a perpetrator of violence against the client or their immediate family
• impact on court, bail, or release conditions e.g. the accommodation is not in an area they are not permitted to be
• distance from education providers the client or their immediate family are or will be enrolled with
• distance from where the client works or will be working
• whether it is intended for human habitation and is in accordance with relevant local government bylaws e.g. the following are not adequate:
  • a barn, shack, or shelter which lack walls or some or all the usual household amenities such as electric lighting, piped water, bathroom, toilet, and kitchen facilities
  • a caravan or other removable structure on a residential site which is located against relevant local government bylaws
• for commercial accommodation, whether the provider meets the relevant building and safety requirements e.g. fire-safety regulations, building code requirements or local authority rules
  • MSD do not need to check the accommodation complies with applicable regulations. However, if MSD are told it does not comply this may be considered when deciding whether the client has obtained adequate accommodation

Some clients may obtain short-term accommodation initially with the intention of finding longer-term accommodation when they move to their new location. Short-term accommodation can be considered adequate accommodation for the purposes of Relocate for Work Support.

Examples of short-term accommodation that is adequate include, but are not limited to:

• a single client who has been offered a friend's couch to sleep on while finding alternative arrangements (when the client has no other needs that would make this inadequate e.g. health, disability, or social needs)
• accommodation with family or friends who have a spare bedroom/s (appropriate to their family size)
• a single client or couple without children staying in a tourist cabin
• a single client or couple living at a caravan park with shared kitchen and shower facilities with no other reasons that this arrangement is unsuitable
• caravan park or camping ground if the facilities meet the client's and their immediate family's (if any) needs.

Examples of short-term accommodation that is not adequate include, but are not limited to:

• a family with children staying at a friend's house if the accommodation is not adequate for the family's needs, even in the short-term e.g. children must sleep on the floor
• situations where the only place to stay is a vehicle, sleeping on the street, or in a tent
• has a place to stay but they are the perpetrator of family violence and cannot remain at the property
• has left a place due to family violence and cannot return while the perpetrator is still there
• the only place available to stay is an unsafe environment e.g. drugs, violence, and other crime
• an elderly person is staying in a caravan park in winter, sharing a kitchen, and they must walk to the shower and toilet block (this would impact on their health due to the cold and not having easy access to facilities)
• the place to stay will impact on the client's health needs e.g. too far away from a hospital where they are having treatment for cancer or dialysis
• a family with young children in a caravan park and the facilities do not meet their needs e.g. distance to amenities, risk to children's safety by other users, risk to health due to the cold

Example 1

Jean is a single client who lives in Dannevirke and has recently been made redundant. She is currently getting Jobseeker Support and is looking for a job.

Jean has been unable to get a job locally and has been offered a job in Auckland. She applies for Relocate for Work Support.

Jean will be staying with her friend in Auckland while she searches for an apartment of her own. The room Jean will be staying in is fully furnished and she will have access to all the usual household amenities. Jean has no individual circumstances that would make the accommodation unsuitable for her.

MSD is satisfied that her accommodation is adequate and approves Jean's Relocate for Work Support application.

Example 2

Jo is a sole parent who lives in Invercargill. She is currently getting Jobseeker Support and is looking for a full-time job.

Jo has been unable to get a job locally and has been offered a full-time job in Christchurch. She applies for Relocate for Work Support.

Jo and her child will be staying with her friend in Christchurch while she searches for an apartment. When asked about the arrangement, Jo says that her child will be sleeping on the floor as her friend's single bedroom apartment is small.

MSD determines the accommodation is not adequate and declines her Relocate for Work Support application.