In December 2009 Ms A, a single mother with three children, complained to the ACT Ombudsman about having been on Housing ACT’s High Needs housing list for six months and not receiving any assistance from them. Ms A had been living in shortterm rental accommodation that she could not afford. She had fallen behind in her rent and had received an eviction notice.

Ms A applied for housing assistance in June 2009 with supporting documentation attesting to her needs and those of her children. In July 2009 she attended an assessment interview with Housing ACT and was deemed eligible for High Needs housing, the second of Housing ACT’s three needs categories.

On several occasions between July and November 2009 Ms A provided further documentation to Housing ACT that demonstrated that her situation was serious and deteriorating. Each time Ms A did so she was advised that her application for housing had been re-assessed and remained on the High Needs housing list.

Although Housing ACT had initially informed Ms A of her right to request a review in writing, the information was not presented in a manner that clearly advised her of the procedure and nor was it conveyed to her when she submitted further written documentation supporting her claim. Because Ms A did not formally request that the
decision be reviewed, her application remained in the High Needs category, greatly reducing the likelihood of her receiving the public housing accommodation she and her three young children needed.

This investigation of Ms A’s complaint concluded that Housing ACT:

• failed to refer Ms A’s application to the Multi-Disciplinary Panel (MDP) for placement on the Priority housing list though she met the eligibility criteria

• failed to refer Ms A’s application to the MDP for placement on the Priority housing list over subsequent months despite her deteriorating circumstances of which they were advise

• did not provide Ms A with a level of procedural assistance that was reasonable for an applicant in her circumstances, and that would have enabled her to have her assessment formally reviewed

• should review its policies and procedures for re-assessing applications, and for triaging applications for Priority housing.