Program definitions

Here are the definitions of words used in community housing programs.

Applicant is any person seeking a housing service from the provider.

Assistance agreement is an assistance agreement as defined by the Housing Act 2003 (the Act) entered into between the department and the provider.

At Risk of Homelessness means those people who are paying 30% or more of their gross household income in rent and who are located within markets with median rents in excess of their total income (i.e. more than 100% of income is required to access housing of an adequate size and standard for the household, or people who are restricted from access to the private housing market).

Common eligibility criteria means the department’s eligibility criteria for housing assistance under the One Social Housing System (see below).

Dwelling is a self-contained form of residential accommodation.

CAP is the Crisis Accommodation Program.

CMSU is the Community-managed Housing—Studio Units Program.

CRS is the Community Rent Scheme Program.

LTCHP is the Long Term Community Housing Program.

SHDL is the Same House Different Landlord Program.

Enquirer is a person who enquires about a housing service.

Homeless means people who:

have no shelter and are living in public spaces, in abandoned buildings or out of a car
have no permanent shelter and sleep regularly on the floor or couch, in the garage or under the house of relatives and friends
live in overcrowded conditions or in crisis shelters
live in shared living arrangements where there is no security or safety
live in a violent household, or in a domestic violence shelter to escape this violence.

Housing register is the department's register of eligible people for housing services.

Housing service means the provision of accommodation and/or services as defined in the Act.

Objectives means the objectives of the program.

One Social Housing System is the integrated system for the provision of all housing services funded by the department.

Program specification refers to specifications of the relevant program, and includes any amended, additional or replacement program specifications notified to the provider (under the assistance agreement).

Property means the premises described in the assistance agreement.

Provider means the party to the assistance agreement (other than the State) being a registered provider in accordance with the Act, and where the context allows, extends to and includes its successors in title and assigns.

Receipts means receipts as defined by the Housing Regulation 2003.

Regulation means the Housing Regulation 2003 (PDF, 482KB).

Tenant is an eligible person or people to whom the provider grants occupation rights to the property.

The Act means the Housing Act 2003 (PDF, 589KB).

Interpretation

In all community housing program specifications, unless the context otherwise requires:

all words and phrases have the same meaning as in the assistance agreement and the rules of interpretation of the assistance agreement apply to the interpretation of the program specification
the program specification shall be read as if it were part of the assistance agreement.