At risk of rheumatic fever

Certain people on the housing register who are at risk of rheumatic fever can be fast-tracked for social housing. This is to target a reduction in the number of hospitalisations for acute rheumatic fever.

If the household meets all the qualifications, they will be fast-tracked for the next available, suitable social housing property, based on matching by the social housing provider, even if there are other households with a higher rating.

This provision only applies to households who meet all of the following qualifications:

• the household must qualify for social housing

and

• have an 'at risk' or 'serious need' for social housing, with an A or B priority rating

and

• the household have more than one child living in that house (does not have to be a dependent child), and at least one of those children is aged 4 to 19 years and
  • has a child aged 0 - 14 years who has been hospitalised with a qualifying medical condition, while living in their current accommodation or in the past 2 years or
  • has a child or young person who is getting treatment because of a previous episode of rheumatic fever

and

• the household is lacking one or more bedrooms, or the household is functionally overcrowded (for example, unable to adequately heat the property and therefore engaging in unsafe sleeping practices)

Note if a household no longer meets the qualifications to be fast tracked, they may still qualify to remain on the social housing register.