Housing Support Programme
09 February 2023.
This welfare programme under the Social Security Act 2018, which comes into force on 13 March 2023, provides for MSD (in its discretion) to provide special financial assistance within the limits set out in this programme, to help eligible people obtain and retain rental housing in New Zealand.
This welfare programme intends to streamline one-off housing related financial assistance provided by MSD and better reflect people’s housing needs by:
• replacing the former Housing Support Assistance Programme and provisions for one-off housing related financial assistance under the Recoverable Assistance Programme;
• making this welfare programme the primary vehicle under which one-off housing assistance is provided, reducing the need for advance payment of benefits for beneficiaries;
• increasing the previous maxima of bond, rent in advance and rent arrears assistance to reflect the applicants’ actual costs;
• in some cases, increasing the number of grants that can be provided to better reflect varying levels of need;
• creating universal eligibility criteria to enable households to be treated more equitably; and
• increasing the time period before tenancy costs cover expires
