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1.3 Matching Clients and Properties

1.3.1 Policy
1.3.2 Procedure

1.3.1 Policy

Bridge Housing aims to promote a successful and sustainable tenancy when matching clients to properties. This means matching a client to a property that:

Is large enough for the client's household
Meets any special needs of the client so far as these are known
Assists the client to access special support services that they need
Encourages a sustainable tenancy
Makes the best use of available housing stock

The intent of this policy is to ensure that Bridge Housing understands its clients' housing needs and is able to identify properties within its portfolio that meet these needs.

Clients eligible for Bridge Housing are listed on the Bridge Housing waiting list. Clients are approved for housing assistance under the following programs:

Applicants for general housing
Housing New South Wales nominated applicants
Support partners nominated applicants

Where a vacancy occurs and there is no suitable client approved under one of the above policies, Bridge Housing will allocate the property on a wait-turn basis to the next appropriate person on the waiting list. Bridge Housing aims to make sure that properties with specific features that are in high demand and short supply are only allocated to those clients who need them.

These features include:

Properties that are suitable for older people
Properties that have been built or modified to meet the needs of people with a disability
In some areas, properties on the ground floor, properties with level access or properties with a yard/garden.

Bridge Housing expects clients to provide accurate and up-to-date information about their housing needs so that clients can be matched to properties that meet their needs.

This means that:

Bridge Housing can ask clients to provide updated information at any time while they are on the waiting list (see waiting list review). Bridge Housing will remove a client from the waiting list if they do not respond to requests from Bridge Housing to provide updated information.
A client who is on the waiting list must tell Bridge Housing if anything in their situation that is relevant to their housing needs changes. This enables Bridge Housing to update its information and match the client to a property that meets their new housing needs.

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1.3.2 Procedure

1.3.2.1 Matching a Client to a Property

When a property becomes available, Bridge Housing makes sure that both the client and the property information is up-to-date and then checks whether the property is suitable for clients with the highest priority on the waiting list.

When deciding if a property is suitable for a particular client, Bridge Housing considers whether the property is likely to address the client’s housing needs and result in a sustainable tenancy. If the property is not suitable, Bridge Housing allocates the property to the next client on the waiting list whose housing needs would be met by the property.

Some properties will only be matched to clients with specific needs. The types of properties that are available and the restrictions that apply to them are listed in the table below:

Table 1 Property Types
Type of Property		Client
General Properties	Bridge Housing Capital properties or headleased from the private rental market	Clients with needs that can be met by the type, size and location of the particular property.
Modified Properties	Properties modified to cater for tenants with a disability	Clients who have demonstrated a need for a modified property.
Ground Floor Property	Ground floor properties	Clients who have demonstrated a need for a ground floor property.
Level Access	Properties with level access	Clients who have demonstrated a need for a property with level access.
Yards/Garden	Properties with backyards	Clients who have demonstrated a need for a backyard.
Bedsitter/Boarding House	Bedsitters and boarding houses	Clients who have elected to be considered for this type of accommodation.

Offering a Property

Once a suitable match has been identified, Bridge Housing will offer the property to a client in accordance with the Offering a Property to a Client Policy.

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1.3.2.2 Assessment Criteria

Bridge Housing asks clients to provide information about their housing needs during the application process. Clients on our waiting list can up-date the information provided to Bridge Housing about their housing needs by completing the Annual Waiting List Review Form. When Bridge Housing matches a client to a property it relies on:

Information about the client’s housing needs that has been supplied by the client. Decisions made by Bridge Housing are based on assessment of the information provided by the client.

Table 2 Criteria Used to Match a Client to a Property
Basic Criteria		Additional Criteria that is considered when relevant
Location of Property	Bridge Housing will match to the location requested by the client	Bridge Housing will: Match to specific locations when the client has demonstrated a need for this location.
Type of Property	Bridge Housing will match to a house, townhouse or unit according to availability	Bridge Housing will: Match a client to a specific type of property if the client has demonstrated a need for this type of property Match a client to properties with specific features (such as ground floor property, property with level access, modified property, property with a maximum number of stairs) if the client has demonstrated a need for this type of property Not match a client to properties that have specific features, if the client has demonstrated that these features would make the property unsuitable for them Where possible, match households with young children to properties with yards, subject to availability.
Number of bedrooms in the property	Bridge Housing will match bedroom size based on the client's household composition. The minimum bedroom entitlements used by Bridge Housing are set out in the Bedroom Entitlement table below	Bridge Housing will: Match Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients to a property that has one more bedroom than the minimum bedroom entitlement for the household, if the client has requested this Bridge Housing has this policy in recognition of the family responsibilities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients can ask for an extra bedroom on their housing application or at any time while they are on the waiting list Clients who have demonstrated a need for a ground floor property.
Number of bedrooms in the property	Bridge Housing may match a household to a property larger than their minimum entitlement. This will happen if Bridge Housing has a larger property available and Bridge Housing's operating procedures allow it to be allocated to the household.	Allocate a bedroom size above the minimum entitlement if the client has demonstrated a need for a property of this size. For example, Bridge Housing will allocate an additional room for a family member or carer to stay in if the client has demonstrated a need where possible, consider the future accommodation needs of children in the household Include matches to bed-sitter accommodation if the client is a single person household and has elected to be considered for a bed-sitter.

Table 3 Minimum Bedroom Entitlements
Household size	Bedroom Entitlement
Couple	1
1 or 2 adults with 1 - 2 children	2
1 or 2 adults with 3 - 4 children	3
1 or 2 adults with 5 or more children	4
Two or more single adults	1 bedroom per adult
Extended families	1 bedroom per single adult or couple and 1 - 2 children per bedroom

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1.3.2.3 Accommodating Children

Bridge Housing will consider the age and sex of any children in the household when it works out a household's bedroom entitlement. The principles applied by Bridge Housing when it does this are set out in the table below:

Accommodating Children
Situation		Bridge Housing Response
Over 18 Years	Children over 18 years of age	Considered to be an adult when calculating the minimum bedroom entitlement.
Shared Bedroom	Children expected to share a bedroom	Same sex children up to 18 years of age to share a bedroom. Male and female children to share a bedroom until one of the children reaches 10 years of age.
Children Can't Share a Bedroom	Client has demonstrated a need for same sex children, or children under 10 years of age, to have separate bedrooms	Bridge Housing will allocate an additional bedroom - Examples of situations where an extra bedroom could be appropriate include where there is a large age gap between the children or behavioural factors.
Shared Custody	Clients with shared custody of children	The child/children are considered to be part of the household if the client has shared custody of children for 3 days per week or more. Normal bedroom entitlements apply.
Access Visits	Clients who need to accommodate access visits from children	The children are not considered to be part of the household if they visit for less than 3 days per week. The client must demonstrate a need for an extra bedroom to accommodate access visits. See Evidence Requirements for more information.
Future Needs of Children	Children will need separate bedrooms in 2 or 3 years time	Bridge Housing will take this into account when matching the client to a property if it can. Bridge Housing will make this decision on a case by case basis according to the size and type of housing that is available in the area.

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1.3.2.4 Evidence Requirements to Substantiate Property Type

Bridge Housing will base its decisions about which properties are likely to be suitable for a specific client on the information it receives from the client. Bridge Housing will consider the merits of any information provided by the client before it uses it as the basis of a decision about the client’s housing needs.

Evidence Requirements
Situation		Information Needed
Ground floor or level access	Need for a ground floor property or a property with level access	Medical Assessment Form completed by the client's doctor & substantiating the need for a ground floor property/ level access and/or letters or reports from relevant support providers Age of applicant
Modified property	Need for a property modified for people with a disability (eg. wheelchair access, modifications needed to make the property suitable for the client)	For minor modifications, Medical Assessment Form completed by the client's health care professional & substantiating the need for property modifications For major modifications, an Occupational Therapist report property specifications needed.
Specific property features are unsuitable	Need to show that the presence of certain features would make the property unsuitable (eg the number of stairs in the property, need for fencing, no carpet for health reasons, positioning of handles & locks, screen doors etc)	Medical Assessment Form completed by the client's doctor & substantiating that certain property features would be unsuitable.
Yards	Need for a yard (eg to house a client's guide dog, to accommodate physical therapy equipment, to address the health needs of a household member)	Documentation substantiating the need for a yard. Strong substantiation of the need for a yard is needed in allocation zones where there are few properties with yards If the yard is needed for medical/health reasons - Medical Assessment Form completed by the client's doctor & substantiating the need for the yard and/or letters or reports from relevant support providers.
Shared custody	Client has shared custody of children and needs a property large enough to accommodate them	Substantiation of the shared custody arrangement through information such as one or more of the following: Documentation from the Family Court Statutory declaration from the client Centrelink payment information Bank account details Supporting documentation from a support agency.
Extra bedroom	Need for an extra bedroom
Due to medical condition or disability	For example: extra space for storage of medical equipment room for family member or carer to stay when providing short term support due to hospitalisation or illness separate room for partner if a disability, or routines associated with a disability, require the couple to sleep separately	Documentation from the client's health care professional (eg doctor, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, or psychiatrist) that supports the need for an extra bedroom.
Due to family reasons	to accommodate regular access visits from children to accommodate weekend access visits from children to accommodate regular visits from grandchildren for care or custody reasons	Documentary evidence that access visits occur at least fortnightly or during school holidays, such as one or more of the following: Receipt of part payment of Family Tax Benefit A or B Statutory Declaration signed by the parent providing primary care Family Court papers stating access arrangements Letter from support worker or advocate. In the case of care related visits from grandchildren, reasonable substantiation of the reason for the visits.
	To enable regular care of aged parents	Documentation such as a letter from the client's doctor, advocate or support worker that confirms care is required regularly (ie of several weeks duration, several times a year) and supports the need for an extra bedroom.
	To meet extended family responsibilities	Information demonstrating the need to meet extended family responsibilities Bridge Housing will consider these requests on a case by case basis according to the specific circumstances of the situation.

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1.3.2.5 Appealing Decisions

If a client believes we made the wrong decision they should ask for a formal review of the decision. To do this a client needs to complete an appeals form stating why they disagree with the decision. An appeals form and copy of Bridge Housing's Appeals and Complaints Policy is available from Bridge Housing's office or they can be downloaded from our website www.bridgehousing.org.au

If a client is unhappy with the outcome of an appeal to Bridge Housing they can lodge a second level appeal with the Housing Appeals Committee. The Housing Appeals Committee is an independent agency that reviews certain decisions made by staff of Community Housing organisations and Housing New South Wales. For information on the Housing Appeals Committee call 1800 629 794 or go to www.hac.nsw.gov.au.

Applicants can appeal about the following Bridge Housing decisions:

Housing Entitlements
- Number of bedrooms
- Modification or special features of dwelling
- Locational need

Bridge Housing Policy and Procedures Manual: Matching Clients to Properties Revisions
Document Title	Matching Clients to Properties	Approval Date	September 2007
Approval Authority	Bridge Housing Board	Effective Date	October 2007
		Review Date	October 2009
Administrator	Executive Officer

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