Help with housing and homelessness

Understand what housing help you may be eligible for and how to apply, including social housing and private rental assistance

Browse Help with housing and homelessness

Ways we can help

Different housing assistance options are available to meet your needs, including help with homelessness
- Are you homeless?
  
  We can help you if you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
- Find a specialist homelessness service
  
  Search for details about homelessness services in NSW
- Domestic and family violence: housing assistance
  
  If you're experiencing violence at home, you may be eligible for housing assistance which can help to keep you safe
- Help renting in the private market
  
  DCJ Housing offers rental assistance for people looking for private rental accommodation. We can help with paying urgent rental costs. We can also help people start a tenancy with an interest-free bond loan, or keep a tenancy with help to pay the rent.
- Private rental advice
  
  Advice to help you understand the private rental market and how to secure and maintain tenancy
- Social housing
  
  Social housing is secure, affordable housing for people with a housing need on a low income
- Renting affordable housing
  
  Find information about affordable rental housing, who is eligible, how rent is set and how to apply
- Rent Choice Start Safely
  
  Short to medium-term financial support for people escaping domestic or family violence
- Help for Aboriginal people to buy a home
  
  Grants and schemes available to help Aboringinal people in NSW who are wanting to buy their own home.
Eligibility for housing assistance

Social housing helps people find safe and appropriate housing that meets their needs, as well as access to private rental assistance products
- Eligibility for social housing
  
  Eligibility criteria for DCJ social housing applicants. Find out if you're eligible.
- Eligibility for private rental assistance
  
  Each private rental assistance product has different eligibility requirements
Applying for housing assistance

Eligibility, wait times and starting an application for housing assistance
- Housing Pathways
  
  Housing Pathways is a simpler, easier and fairer way to apply for housing assistance in NSW
- Apply for housing assistance
  
  Apply online for housing assistance or continue your saved form
- Apply for Rentstart Bond Loan
  
  DCJ Housing provides help with the cost of setting up a new private rental with a Rentstart Bond Loan. The loan is interest-free and paid back to DCJ Housing. You can apply for a Rentstart Bond Loan via online or paper. Find out more about eligibility and how to apply.
- Applying over the phone
  
  You can now apply for housing assistance over the phone
- Choose where you want to live
  
  How to choose an allocation zone in your application for housing assistance
- View or change your housing assistance application
  
  View or update your online application for housing assistance
- Keeping your housing assistance application active
  
  Make sure your contact details are up to date so you keep your place on the NSW Housing Register
- NSW Housing Register
  
  Your application for housing assistance is managed through the NSW Housing Register
- Expected waiting times
  
  Expected waiting times are revised yearly and provided based on allocation zone
- Social housing waiting list data
  
  Shows the latest monthly (March 2024) number of applicant households on the NSW Housing Register & housed from the NSW Housing Register. Contains the latest quarterly (March 2024) information on median waiting times for applicant households housed from NSW Housing Register.
- Appeals and reviewing decisions
  
  What decisions made by DCJ can be appealed and how the review process works
- Appeal online
  
  Use this online form to request a review of a decision made by DCJ Housing.
- Choice Based Letting pilot – Inner City (Sydney)
  
  The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) is trying a new approach to letting some empty public housing properties.
Tenancy forms
- Application for additional occupants online form
  
  Use this online form to apply for additional people to join your household.
- Authority for rent deduction online form
  
  Use this online form if you are a tenant on a Centrelink income and want to have your housing payments deducted from Centrelink.
- Details of property and land ownership online form
  
  Use this online form if you (tenant or applicant for social housing) or someone in your household owns any land or property
- Income confirmation scheme online form
  
  Use this online form if you (applicant/tenant) and any household member over the age of 18 years old receive Centrelink payments and want to allow DCJ to obtain their income details from Centrelink
- Notice to vacate online form
  
  Use this online form when a tenant wants to vacate their public housing property
- Rental subsidy application online form
  
  Use this online form to apply for a rent subsidy.

Was this content useful?

Your rating will help us improve the website.

Last updated: 24 Sep 2019

Help with housing and homelessness

Browse Help with housing and homelessness

Ways we can help

Eligibility for housing assistance

Applying for housing assistance

Tenancy forms