2017-04-11 P&E Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 1 Housing Needs Assessment

Name                     Description                               Housing/Services

                         various community initiatives to raise    of sometimes complex needs, including
                         awareness for homelessness and child      providing swags to sourcing supported
                         safety issues.                            accommodation.


Source: Noosa Shire Council 2016a (Survey Results); Consultation undertaken by Briggs & Mortar Pty Ltd.


3.2.3    Private Market Assistance
The Federal and Queensland governments also provide assistance to households to maintain
their accommodation in the private rental market, rather than require public housing. This
assistance includes the following programs:

       The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) is a partnership between the Australian
        Government and the States and Territories of Australia to invest in affordable rental
        housing for low and moderate income individuals and families. Through the NRAS scheme
        a tax free incentive for a period of 10 years is provided to investors buying a NRAS
        property. This incentive is made available to investors each year in return for entering into
        a NRAS agreement that offers discounted rents to eligible tenants. In order to receive the
        yearly incentive, the discounted rent offered must be at least 20% less than the market
        rent for the area and the tenants must meet income eligibility criteria. In many cases
        Affordable Housing is developed by a not for profit organisation such as a housing
        company. There were just 16 NRAS dwellings in Noosa Shire at 30 June 2016 (see Table
        19).
       RentConnect services help households to find and apply for rental housing. Households
        may be having trouble finding appropriate housing, have no identification documents or
        no rental history, or are trying to prove that they will be a good tenant. RentConnect is a
        service provided by the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works. 57
        households received assistance to help find and apply for a place to rent in the 12 months
        to 30 June 2016 in Noosa Shire.
       The Department of Housing and Public Works also provides bond loans to eligible
        households to assist them move into private rental accommodation. The bond loan is an
        interest free loan and can be provided to households that have less than $2,500 in cash,
        and choose a property where the rent is less than 60% of their total gross household
        weekly income. In the 12 months to 30 June 2016, 84 bond loans were made to
        households in Noosa Shire.
       The Rental Grant program helps clients who are exiting a hospital or health facility,
        correctional facility, other approved centre, Child Protection Service, Community Rent
        Scheme property or who are fleeing domestic/family violence or who are homeless or at
        risk of homelessness to move into private rental accommodation. A total of 17 rental
        grants were made to households in Noosa Shire in the 12 months to 30 June 2016.
       The Home Assist Secure service aims to remove some of the practical housing-related
        difficulties experienced by people 60 years and over and people of any age with a
        disability, who wish to remain living in their home (includes homeowners). 541 households
        were assisted through the Home Assist Secure program in the 12 months to 30 June 2016,
        however the location of these services are recorded based on the location of the service
        office, rather than the location where the assistance was provided. It could be assumed
        that the majority of these services were provided to households within the LGA.




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