Assessment of housing need

The client's need for social housing is assessed through the Social Allocation System (SAS) which:

• confirms a client's eligibility for social housing
• assesses their need for social housing and determines whether their need for social housing is at risk (priority A) or serious (priority B) and
• determines their housing needs (housing requirements)

There is a set of criteria used to determine the housing need of a household and is based on the household composition, housing circumstances and housing history. The assessment of housing need is used to assess:

• housing need (the need to move) of the household which covers the following criteria:
  • adequacy - focuses on whether the client needs accommodation or needs to move from their current accommodation due to:
    • not currently living in any accommodation, or living in emergency housing for the time-being
    • the physical condition/structure or lack of basic facilities of the accommodation
    • over-crowding or
    • lack of security of tenure of their current accommodation
  • suitability - focuses on needing to move due to:
    • medical, disability or personal needs or
    • family violence or neighbourhood tension (including tension within the household) or other violence relating to the client's current living situation
• ability to access, afford and sustain alternative housing (that is, the capacity to rent in the private market) which covers the following criteria:
  • affordability - focuses on the ability to afford alternative, suitable housing in the private market
  • accessibility - focuses on the ability to access and afford suitable and adequate housing due to discrimination, lack of financial means to move and availability of alternative, affordable suitable housing in the private market
  • sustainability - focuses on financial management difficulties and difficulties in social functioning and lack of social skills