Thank you for contacting the Freedom of Information (FOI) inbox of the
Commonwealth Department of Social Services (DSS). Your email, should it be
a request for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act
1982, will be actioned by the appropriate team member. 　

If your email is for any other enquiry you should direct it to
[1][email address]. It will not be actioned from this inbox.

GENERAL INFORMATION

If you are seeking general information about FOI, you may find the
following websites useful:

[2]http://www.dss.gov.au/contact/freedom-of...

[3]http://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-inform...

PROCESS

An FOI officer has received your email and it will be actioned
accordingly. In the case of a valid FOI request, you can expect us to
provide an acknowledgment that the request has been received as soon as
practicable, but in any case no later than 14 days after today.

REQUESTS OUTSIDE OFFICE HOURS

Please note that if this message has been received outside our business
hours of 9am to 5pm (Eastern Standard Time), Monday to Friday or on
a public holiday, your request will be actioned on the next business day.

Kind regards,

DSS FOI Team
Email: [4][Department of Social Services request email]　

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.dss.gov.au/contact/freedom-of...
3. http://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-inform...
4. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]

Dear Ms Abramovic

 

Freedom of Information Request No. 16/17-111

 

I refer to your correspondence received by the Department of Social
Services (the Department) on 22 February 2017, in which you requested
access under the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to
the following documents:

 

… the latest documents that contain information about funding arrangements
for homelessness services in Australia. Specifically, I would like
documents containing recent funding and grant statistics, tender
statistics of not-for-profit groups that have tendered for funding, tender
and grant applications documents, government budgets specifically related
to homelessness services, and proposed funding plans and future tender's
to be held by the Commonwealth.

 

Your request will be processed in accordance with the FOI Act.

 

Should you have any queries about this matter, please do not hesitate to
contact the FOI Team at [1][Department of Social Services request email].

 

The Department will correspond with you by email in relation to your FOI
request.

 

Kind regards

 

 

 

FOI Team

Governance and Executive Services Section

Government and Executive Services Branch

Corporate Services Group

Department of Social Services

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]

Dear Ms Abramovic

 

I refer to your request of 22 February 2017 under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982  requesting the following documents:

 

the latest documents that contain information about funding arrangements
for homelessness services in Australia. Specifically, I would like
documents containing recent funding and grant statistics, tender
statistics of not-for-profit groups that have tendered for funding, tender
and grant applications documents, government budgets specifically related
to homelessness services, and proposed funding plans and future tender's
to be held by the Commonwealth

 

Generally, while the Commonwealth Government might provide funding for
homelessness programs, the states and territories bear responsibility for
allocating and administering the funding i.e.

 

Housing Affordability Fund - The Australian Government provides grants to
state, territory and local governments to work with the private sector to
reduce housing-related infrastructure and planning costs to reduce the
cost of new homes.

 

Most Commonwealth funding for the homelessness sector is provided through
the states and territories under two Council of Australian Governments
(COAG) agreements:

 

·         the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA; and

·         the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH).

 

The National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH) -  Under the
NPAH, the Commonwealth supplements state and territory funding for the
state and territory homelessness programs. The state and territory
homelessness programs are developed entirely by the states and territories
although the Commonwealth does need to approve the project plans.

 

The National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) - the Commonwealth
provides specific purpose payments to state and territory governments,
which allocate the funds according to their own predetermined outcomes.
This is a Specific Purpose Payment and states are NOT required to match
the federal funding. While the Commonwealth provides approximately two
thirds of the funding, the states have total control over their
expenditure and don’t report on this expenditure to the Commonwealth.

 

If you want detailed financial data on the above homelessness programs,
you can contact the relevant State or Territory Department as follows:

 

State/Territory Departments of Housing

 

NSW:    [1]http://www.housing.nsw.gov.au/

Vic.:     [2]http://www.housing.vic.gov.au/

QLD:    [3]http://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/Pages/home.aspx

WA:     
[4]http://www.housing.wa.gov.au/aboutus/dep...

SA:       [5]http://www.sa.gov.au/topics/housing

Tas.:     [6]http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/housing

NT:       [7]https://dhcd.nt.gov.au/homepage

ACT:     [8]http://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/....

 

The Commonwealth only has responsibility for the following Rental
Assistance Programs and Reconnect:

 

Commonwealth Rent Assistance - Rent Assistance is fully funded by the
Commonwealth and provides rental assistance to low income households and
individuals in the private rental market. Assistance is in the form of a
non-taxable income supplement paid to people who receive income support
payments or more than the minimum family payment.

 

National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) – To increase the supply of
new and affordable rental accommodation, NRAS provides financial
incentives to housing providers to provide affordable rental dwellings at
a minimum of 20 per cent below market rates.

 

Reconnect – This program uses community-based early intervention services
to assist young people and their families, who arrived in Australia in the
previous five years, on humanitarian visas and family visas and who are
homeless or at risk of homelessness.

 

If you wish to obtain information on these Commonwealth programs, you will
need to revise your FOI request to specifically request information on
these Commonwealth housing programs, for example:Documents from 1 January
2017 to the date of this FOI request that concern funding of Commonwealth
housing services.   

 

Otherwise, please could you withdraw your request from the Department and
redirect your request to the relevant State and Territory Government
Department.

 

Kind regards

 

 

 

Andra Eisenberg

FOI Team

Governance and Executive Services Branch

Department of Social Services

P: 02 6146 3824 | E: [9][Department of Social Services request email] |E: [10][email address]

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.housing.nsw.gov.au/
2. http://www.housing.vic.gov.au/
3. http://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/Pages/home.aspx
4. http://www.housing.wa.gov.au/aboutus/dep...
5. http://www.sa.gov.au/topics/housing
6. http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/housing
7. https://dhcd.nt.gov.au/homepage
8. http://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/...
9. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]
10. mailto:[email address]

Dear Ms Abramovic

 

I refer to the Department of Social Services’ email to you of 3 March 2017
regarding FOI Request No. 16/17-111.

 

Please note that if you do not withdraw FOI Request No. 16/17-111 by 24
March 2017, you will be deemed to have withdrawn the request on that day.

 

Kind Regards

 

 

 

FOI Team

Governance and Executive Services Branch

Department of Social Services

E: [1][Department of Social Services request email]

 

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]