Emergency Housing : Contents

• Introduction
  • Transitional housing funded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
• Qualifications for emergency housing
  • Requiring supporting evidence
  • Immediate emergency housing need
    • Access to other adequate accommodation
      • Examples of other adequate accommodation
  • Adequacy of other accommodation and emergency housing
  • Income limit
    • Income limit - New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran's Pension clients
  • Cash asset limits
    • Types of cash assets
  • Exceptional circumstances for income and cash asset limits
  • Residence criteria
  • Client can meet their immediate need in another way
  • Client has caused or contributed to their immediate need before applying for their first Emergency Housing Grant
  • Client has caused or contributed to their immediate need while in emergency housing
  • Emergency housing responsibilities
    • When the emergency housing responsibilities apply
    • Paying emergency housing contribution by date or dates determined by MSD
      • Emergency housing contribution payment date
      • Client does not pay emergency housing contribution on time
      • Method of payment for emergency housing contribution
      • Priority of deductions
      • Insufficient income to cover emergency housing contribution
    • Making a reasonable effort to get other housing
    • Engage with support services
    • Good and sufficient reason for not meeting responsibilities
    • Warnings for failing to meet responsibilities
    • 13 week non-entitlement period for emergency housing
    • Limited circumstances during non-entitlement for emergency housing
      • Examples of limited circumstances
      • Paying an Emergency Housing Grant when limited circumstances apply
      • Determining when limited circumstances no longer apply
  • Expectations and conditions of payment for emergency housing
  • Emergency housing supplier standards
    • No opted-in suppliers available
    • Not opted-in supplier is the most appropriate option
    • Supplier standards exceptional circumstances
  • Emergency housing events
    • New emergency housing events
      • Examples of deciding new vs same emergency housing events
    • Counting the first 7 nights of a new emergency housing event
    • Medium or long-term accommodation expected to lead to or be sustainable housing
• Payment
  • Actual and reasonable costs covered for emergency housing
  • Determining maximum per night rates
• Longer grant periods
  • Longer grants when there is low availability of emergency housing
  • Longer grants during a pandemic, natural disaster, or other emergency event
  • Determining if a longer grant is appropriate in the client's circumstances
  • When a longer grant will not be paid
• When MSD cannot pay an Emergency Housing Grant
• When MSD can decline an Emergency Housing Grant
• Calculating the emergency housing contribution
  • Calculating the emergency housing contribution using net weekly income
    • Net weekly emergency housing income
    • Main benefit rate used to calculate the emergency housing contribution using net weekly income
  • Calculating the emergency housing contribution using the appropriate net rate of Jobseeker Support
    • Appropriate net rate of Jobseeker Support
  • Examples of calculating the emergency housing contribution
  • Calculating 25% of family tax credit entitlement for emergency housing contribution
    • Examples of calculating 25% of family tax credit entitlement
  • Emergency housing contribution cannot be more than cost of emergency housing
  • Changes in income - effect on emergency housing contribution for overlapping income
  • Calculating the emergency housing contribution for overlapping grants
  • Refunding the emergency housing contribution
• Security deposit required for emergency, transitional or contracted emergency housing
  • Security deposit qualifications
    • Security deposit approved for a household
    • Payment of the security deposit to a supplier or provider
    • Costs covered or not covered by a security deposit
    • Security Deposit Grant must be a reasonable amount
  • Client needs to pay security deposit debt
  • Effect of security deposit being paid out on future Emergency Housing Grants
• Review of Decision

Related information

Benefit rates

Superannuation rates

Employment and training

Your rights and responsibilities

Help from Work and Income

Finding work