The Priority Project - Queensland

Homelessness

Fortitude Valley, 4006

The Priority Project (TPP) involves the prioritisation of private rentals to provide appropriate housing for women who have experienced domestic and family violence in South East Queensland.

Mission Australia and The Salvation Army are delivering this pilot to provide assistance to women can afford a private rental. This involves working with real estate Property Managers to secure a home, plus providing transition and ongoing tenancy sustainment support for women housed. Landlords are asked to prioritise rentals to women who need a hand. This program does not involve headleasing but provides extra support to tenants who sign a Tenancy Agreement independently.

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How you can help

If you are a landlord/property owner, you can absolutely help by prioritising rental to women who really need a hand – 12 month tenancies are desired. This project is designed to provide extra supports to women (through the project partners) so they can settle and not be ‘stuck’ without the security of a tenancy – your help is critical in this project. Landlords who are sympathetic, want to be part of the housing and homelessness solution, and who also appreciate the possible advantages to them (such as long-term tenancies and minimal vacancy times), are able to help. In a recent survey, 75% of landlords told us they were interested in prioritising rental to our target women.

If you are a real-estate agent, you can help too. Agents managing properties are a critical partner as it is also you we need across South East Queensland. We know through surveying that landlords are interested in supporting women and this project provides a way to involve new stakeholders to the housing crisis. It can also support your commitments to community impact and does not require significant change to your processes. In fact, it may reduce time spent securing tenants.

Property Managers prioritising women in need

Organisations supporting women into housing in a new way

Contact us for more information about the project, including any questions and concerns you may have. The referral process, including required checks and supports, has been mapped out and will continue to evolve as the project progresses.

Project partners and history

This project is a partnership between community services, real-estate agents and property owners. Stakeholders have been designing this first-of-its-kind solution over a couple of years, supported by The Constellation Project. Mission Australia is now facilitating a pilot which has been made possible through philanthropic funding. Pilot partners also include The Salvation Army and McGrath North Lakes. The pilot will be evaluated with the intention of the project continuing – as it scales across SEQ.

The Priority Project location

At first, the focus council areas are Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Redlands and Logan. The locations shown here are where the project's Partnership Broker is based. Case Managers referring women work across SEQ.

Who we assist

Current service participants of Housing and/or Domestic and Family Violence Services.

Eligibility criteria

1. Women are referred by a Housing and/or Domestic and Family Violence Service (HDFVS). Services need to ensure continuity of care for women throughout the tenancy. This ensures appropriate risk assessments are already in place and the referring service has a commitment to support the woman during her tenancy.

2. Women applying have enough income to afford weekly payments – this generally means women can afford to spend 30%-40% of their income on rent (see Referral Process).

3. Women must be able to afford a weekly rental of at least $400 (this would be for 1 bedroom).

4. Applications need to be submitted within 5 days – before rentals are advertised online, or so applications are prioritised alongside others.

Referral process

Referrals are received from Housing and/or Domestic and Family Violence Service (HDFVS) in SEQ.
Mission Australia and The Salvation Army will coordinate support for eligible women if their current HDFVS cannot provide ongoing, structured support. A woman can choose when case management support is no longer required.
HDFVS please note that Property Managers are not accepting tenancy applications that are 40-50% of a woman’s income (regular and/or Centerlink income). There is some project funding for rental subsidies. Please don’t submit referrals for women until you confirm they meet the 4 eligibility criteria as we don’t want stakeholders to be disappointed.

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