What is Social Housing?
Social Housing is a type of community housing. Link Housing provides Social Housing and Housing Assistance to people on very low to low household incomes.
We do this in partnership with the NSW Government’s Family and Community Services (FACS) department – using the one application process, Housing Pathways.
Eligibility for social housing
Link Housing provides Social Housing properties to people in NSW who are earning a very low to low income. To be eligible for social housing, you must:
- be a citizen or have permanent residency in Australia, and
- be resident in New South Wales (NSW), and
establish their identity, and - have a household income within the income eligibility limits, and
- not own any assets or property which could reasonably be expected to resolve their housing need, and
- be able to sustain a tenancy, without support or with appropriate support in place, and
- if applicable, make repayments of any former debts to a social housing provider, and
- in general, be at least 18 years of age.
Find out more about your eligibility for Social Housing.
How to apply
To apply for Social Housing in NSW, you need to go through Housing Pathways.
Housing Pathways is a National Housing Register for housing products and services. It is used by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS), Aboriginal Housing Office, Housing Contact Centre and all participating community housing providers, including Link Housing.
Housing Pathways is the way applications for housing assistance, including social housing, are managed in NSW. It is a partnership between FACS and participating community housing providers, including Link Housing.
Housing Pathways provides:
- coordinated information about housing assistance
- a single application process
- common eligibility criteria for housing assistance
- a standard assessment process, and
- a single waiting list known as the NSW Housing Register
Application options
You can apply for Social Housing using one of the ways listed below.
- Apply online using the link: Apply for Social Housing.
- Apply by phone by calling the Housing Contact Centre on
1800 422 322 between 9am–5pm.
Have your Medicare and Centrelink details with you when you call. - Apply in person by completing an application form and taking it to a Community Housing Provider, such as Link Housing or any Housing NSW office.
The Evidence Requirements Sheet shows you the documents required to support your application. The two main forms you must fill in are the Application for Housing Assistance and the Social Housing Supplement forms.
Extra information
- We can contact a third about your application if you would like. Please fill out a Consent form with the details of the person you’d like us to contact.
- If you have a medical condition that affects your housing needs, your health professional will need to complete a Medical Assessment form.
- If you have complex needs, you may need to complete an Independent Living Skills form.
After completing an application
If your application is approved, you will be placed on the NSW Housing Register waiting list. You can talk to Link Housing or any Housing Pathways provider to find out where your application is up to, or request changes to your application.
Applicants who move to the top of the list receive 1 or 2 reasonable offers of suitable housing in locations you have chosen. Reasonable offers that are not accepted may cause you to be be removed from the waiting list.
If you are not satisfied by a decision made by Link Housing in relation to your application, you have a right to appeal against the decision.
Urgent need
If you’re in urgent need of housing, please call the homeless services helpline ‘Link2Home’ on 1800 152 152 or visit Housing Assistance for more information.