Households in emergency housing

The emergency housing fast-track aims to reduce the number of families with dependent children in emergency housing and support them into long-term housing.

The emergency housing fast-track applies when all the following qualifications are met:

• the client qualifies for social housing and
• they have (or their partner has) at least 1 dependent child and
• their dependent child or children qualify for and are included in their social housing assessment and
• the client has been staying in emergency housing for 12 continuous weeks or more at the time MSD assesses them for the fast-track

To qualify for the emergency housing fast-track, the client must be staying in:

• accommodation paid for by an Emergency Housing Grant or
• a contracted emergency housing motel.

A client who is an additional occupant can be included in the household being fast-tracked, but they cannot be fast-tracked in their own right.

Any dependent child of an additional occupant is not considered a dependent child for the emergency housing fast-track.

A client does not qualify for the emergency housing fast-track when 1 or more of the following apply:

• they are not staying in emergency housing at their initial fast-track assessment date
• they have been in emergency housing for less than 12 weeks continuously
• they left emergency housing for more than 28 days and did not have exceptional circumstances
• the client or their partner do not have dependent children
• the client or their partner have a dependent child but they are not included in their social housing assessment
• they do not qualify for social housing or emergency housing
• they are on an emergency housing non-entitlement period

Note the fast track may still apply to a client that leaves emergency housing for more than 28 days due to exceptional circumstances.