Low-income tenants will be offered a rental subsidy under the new Rent Choice Assist program.  

The program trials will take places in four locations in NSW including Blacktown, Campbelltown, Hurstville, and Newcastle/ Lake Macquarie. 

The program will support 200 tenants who are going through financial hardships in circumstances surrounding illness or job loss, starting from September 2018. 

“Unforeseen events such as illness or retrenchment can put people at risk of homelessness but Rent Choice Assist can support them while they get back on their feet,” Minister for Social Housing Pru Coward said. 

The private rental accommodation will need to be within the recipient’s affordability. 

The program will also connect tenants to support services, such as training and employment opportunities, so that they may have the capacity to live independently after the three-year subsidy period. 

Tenants who receive the subsidy will need to demonstrate their capacity to find a job or study opportunities, which support their private rental accommodation. 

By the end of the subsidy period, they will need to have the capacity to afford their accommodation. 

The subsidy amount will be calculated through combining the total of 50 per cent of the gross household weekly income, plus 100 per cent of the Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA). 

In addition, three-month reviews will be conducted consecutively to assess the effectiveness of the tenant’s management of the property and employment. 

This is part of the $1 billion investment by the NSW Government to provide homelessness services over the next four years.  

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