Imprisonment
When a client applying for social housing is imprisoned or detained in custody, MSD should decide how to treat their application for social housing after considering the likely period in prison.
Client in prison for more than 30 days
Clients imprisoned or remanded in custody or longer than 30 days are removed from the register or joint applications. Clients will be sent a letter advising them of this.
Note in the case of joint applicants, MSD must send a letter to the other applicants advising that their application will be reviewed to determine their eligibility for social housing.
Client in prison for 30 days or less
Clients imprisoned or detained in custody for less than 30 days are not removed from the register. Their application is put on hold until they are released from prison or custody.
They will not be referred to social housing providers until they are released (that is, their application status will remain on hold). Clients must make contact within 10 days of their release date for their circumstances to be confirmed.
If the client has an agent or someone to act on their behalf they can remain on the register and continue to be referred to social housing providers.
Care and protection concerns
When a child has come into a client's care, MSD should consider if there are any care and protection concerns.
If MSD believes any child has been, or is likely to be harmed (physically, emotionally or sexually), ill-treated, abused, neglected, deprived or MSD has concerns about the wellbeing of the child, the case must be referred to Oranga Tamariki.
MSD staff must notify Oranga Tamariki if they are aware that the child's sole caregiver has been remanded in custody and/or sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
