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Housing, property and land

Public housing options for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons

On this page:

What is Aboriginal public housing?
Eligibility
How to apply
Giving permission to release information to a third party
Choosing house types and areas
What house types are available

For an alternative version of a document on this page contact Housing SA.

What is Aboriginal public housing?

This is housing that's managed and maintained by Housing SA for the state government specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are eligible to apply for either Aboriginal Housing or general public rental housing.

Aboriginal public housing offers tenants:

affordable rents for low income households
long term accommodation
support, information and referral to other organisations and services.

The waiting list for Aboriginal housing is very long. Aboriginal public rental housing is not emergency accommodation.

If you are at risk of becoming homeless or are currently homeless there are options and services that can assist you.

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Eligibility

To be eligible for Aboriginal public housing you must meet all these criteria:

you're of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
you're a resident in South Australia.
no one on your application owns or part owns any residential property.
everyone on your application meets income eligibility limits and asset eligibility limits
you don’t have a debt to Housing SA or have made an arrangement to repay a debt to Housing SA
you haven’t been excluded from public housing due to disruptive behaviour.

If you think you do not meet this criteria but have special circumstances and require earlier housing you can ask to have these taken into consideration. For more information see Understanding my assessment of need.

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Income eligibility limits

Household type	Maximum amount of income per week	Maximum amount of income per year
Single person	$842	$43,761
Single person with one child	$1,101	$57,226
Single person with two children	$1,230	$63,958
Single person with three children	$1,360	$70,691
Single person with four or more children	$1,554	$80,789
Couple	$1,101	$57,226
Couple with one child	$1,230	$63,958
Couple with two children	$1,360	$70,691
Couple with three children	$1,554	$80,789
Couple with four or more children	$1,748	$90,888

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Asset eligibility limits

Household type	Maximum amount of asset values
Households headed by a single person	$332,000
Households headed by a couple	$412,500

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How to apply

To apply for Aboriginal public housing:

Step 1: Complete an application form (PDF 1.8MB). For an alternative version of this document contact Housing SA.

Step 2: Provide proof of income and identity (PDF 607KB) (Word 802KB) for anyone aged 16 and over who will be living with you.

Step 3: Provide a completed confirmation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent form (PDF 60KB). This must be lodged with Housing SA before you can accept an Aboriginal public housing property. For an alternative version of this document contact Housing SA.

Step 4: Return all documentation to Housing SA.

Before lodging your application make sure you have:

provided everyone’s proof of identity and income or have given Housing SA permission to get your household income details directly from Centrelink. For more information see Providing your income details via Centrelink.
signed the declaration on page 12 of the application form
clearly stated which areas and house types you need to live in.

Applicants are offered housing on a wait turn basis unless they have an urgent or high need for housing.

You can apply to have any special circumstances taken into consideration for earlier housing - eg medical needs. For more information see Understanding my assessment of need.

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Giving permission to release information to a third party

If you need Housing SA to be able to discuss your application with a third party, including anyone else listed on your application - eg partner, support worker, you will need to complete a proxy form (PDF 29KB) (Word 138KB) and return this to Housing SA.

Be clear about what can and can’t be discussed with them - eg they can discuss an application for Aboriginal public housing but not about a debt.

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Choosing house types and areas

The types of properties and locations you select will affect how long the waiting period may be - eg the number of houses with four bedrooms is limited and the waiting list for this type of house will be longer.

A number of suburbs are grouped together to form the areas you can choose from. You can’t pick a particular suburb, street, or house. You must nominate the areas and house types you require.

Maps of areas for public housing:

metro map (PDF 392KB)
country SA map (PDF 614KB)

For an alternative version of these documents contact Housing SA.

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What house types are available

House type	Explanation
Medium density	One or two storey townhouses with a small private yard, usually in close proximity to neighbours.
House	Detached or maisonette properties with a larger private yard.

The number of bedrooms you are eligible for depends on what other people will live with you.

Household type	Number of bedrooms eligible for
Single person	One to two bedrooms or a bed-sit
Couple	One to two bedrooms
Households with one child	Two to three bedrooms
Households with two children	Three bedrooms
Households with three or more children	Three to four bedrooms