Registering For Housing

Community housing is an alternative to public housing and caters for people on very low to moderate incomes, who are or may be in rental stress or face barriers to entry into the private housing market.  It provides secure, affordable, long term rental housing for people with specific needs; including people who have experienced homelessness, the aged, Aboriginal people, people with a disability, survivors of domestic violence, people from non-English speaking backgrounds and low-income families and individuals. Community Housing is managed by not-for-profit organisations and provides a variety of living arrangements depending on the needs and preferences of the tenant household.

There are two types of community housing providers in South Australia:

Community Housing Providers (CHP)

Community Housing Providers are not-for-profit organisations providing housing for people with special housing needs.  They are administered, maintained and managed by paid staff. These Community Housing Providers are delivering social and affordable housing in conjunction with Housing SA and Renewal SA.  All registered Community Housing Providers are legally incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1985 and the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

List of community housing providers

Volunteer Member-Tenant Managed Organisations (VMTMO)

A Volunteer Member-Tenant Managed Organisation (also known as housing co-operatives) is a group of people with a common interest who work together to maintain and manage housing for its members. Members perform landlord roles (tenancy, rent, maintenance) and business roles (administration, bookkeeping).  Membership requires significant ongoing commitment, including attending monthly and other meetings and actively participating in the management of the organisation.

List of VMTMO providers

Eligibility

To be eligible for community housing, customers must meet the basic eligibility criteria before they can be registered on the Community Housing Customer Register.

To pass the base eligibility criteria people need to:

• be a resident of South Australia
• be over the age of 18 years
• not be a homeowner or partly own any residential property
• have an independent income.

Exceptions to this criteria may apply in extenuating circumstances. Registrants must be able to show proof of income and identification.

Registrants must also meet the eligibility criteria set by the individual community housing providers they express interest in.

Multiple household groups

If there’s more than one household group in your registration of interest, such as a couple with a child and a financially independent elderly parent, both households need to be eligible or have special circumstances.

Housing needs assessment 

If the registrant indicates they have particular needs or circumstances that limit their housing options, a housing needs assessment can be undertaken. This is to establish their level of need and the category they should be placed into.

Identify the areas you would be prepared to live in shown on these maps –

Community Housing Metropolitan Area Map

Community Housing Country Area Map

Registering your interest

Complete a Registration of interest in housing form which can be found on the Housing SA website (https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/housing/public-and-community-housing/register-for-housing). This form (together with any other supporting documents required) is to then be returned to your nearest Housing SA office.

What happens next?

You will receive a letter informing you if your registration has been successful. You may be asked to provide further information or to attend an appointment to talk about your situation. Registrations are placed into a category based on your need.  People with the highest level of need are generally offered housing first.

Ensure you contact Housing SA if your contact details change or if you wish to cancel your registration.