Tenancy Plus
The Tenancy Plus program replaced the Social Housing Advocacy and Support Program (SHASP) on 1st September 2017. The SHASP program was funded to support at risk public housing tenants.
The SHASP program was reviewed by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the result of the review provided additional funding to facilitate the expansion of tenancy support services to community housing tenants.
Tenancy Plus ensures that social housing tenants are supported to maintain their tenancy by providing appropriate support for those living with complex needs.
There are three key elements to Tenancy Plus:
Establishing successful tenancies
Tenancy Plus promotes successful social housing tenancies by providing new tenants who have been identified by the department, housing association or community housing provider as having a high risk of tenancy failure with support to establish and sustain their tenancy. Tenancy Plus will attend sign up with the tenant so that the new tenant is supported from the start of their tenancy.
Tenancy Plus can assist the tenants to:
- Acquire basic furniture and white goods
- Connect to services and utilities
- Enrol children at school
- Become acquainted with the local area eg public transport, shops, schools, hospitals, community health centres, neighbourhood houses, parks and local government offices
Intervention when a tenancy is placed at risk
Tenancy Plus can intervene where a social housing tenancy is at risk to identify and assist the tenant to address and resolve the underlying factors that are placing the tenancy at risk.
Advocacy
Tenancy Plus provides advocacy to social housing tenants at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, negotiating agreements with the social housing provider and support tenants whose tenancies are at risk with short term interventions.
Tenancies at Risk
Target - 124
Target Achieved 126%
157 clients assisted
Advocacy
Target 22
Target achieved 186%
41 clients assisted