Frequently Asked Questions

NHIF CT funding is specifically for capital works as outlined in Housing Australia’s Investment Mandate. To view the Investment Mandate, click here. 

Applicants may apply for grant funding, loan funding, or a combination of both, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the Program Guidelines for an eligible applicant and an eligible project. To view the Program Guidelines, click here. 

No, additional contributions are not required to be eligible to apply for a grant or loan, however utilising co-contributions such as land will maximise the outcomes of the NHIF CT program funding. 

Applicants may use national and jurisdictional based rental subsidies as part of the rationale for their financial modelling.  

Yes, you can apply for the entirety of construction costs to be covered by a grant through the NHIF CT. 

Yes, you can jointly deliver a project. There are different models you can use; one might be a Special Purpose Vehicle.  

The Investment Mandate does not specifically identify a target or minimum allocation for First Nations investment or housing stock and Housing Australia is bound to operate under the Investment Mandate. However, the Investment Mandate does speak to need, demand, and impact, and it is important that applicants demonstrate this in submissions. The data is there to support the disproportional need and demand of First Nations people for crisis and transitional housing and their over-representation in the identified cohorts that the NHIF CT program targets. Housing Australia encourages applicants to identify whether their proposed project will specifically benefit First Nations people and how it plans to do so in a culturally appropriate way, particularly if the service provision will be provided by an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation. 

Housing Australia will regularly update their website with information about the amount of funds allocated and the amount of funds remaining for each jurisdiction while jurisdictional allocations remain in place until January 2026. 

No. The Investment Mandate clearly states that a CHP must be a registered charity in order to apply for NHIF CT funding. 

Yes, projects submitted in partnership will be for funding if the organisation/s meet the eligibility criteria (e.g. community housing provider who is a registered charity).  The partnership must be legally formalised as there can only be one recipient for the funding. 

Only transitional and crisis accommodation targeting youth aged 16 to 24 years of age is eligible for funding as specified in the Investment Mandate. If a person is aged between 16 and 24 and is unaccompanied, they will be considered part of the youth cohort. For persons aged under 16 we would expect them to be accompanied by an adult and, to be eligible for NHIF CT funding, would need to meet the criteria of women and children experiencing family and domestic violence. 

This is a question that Housing Australia will address on a project specific basis. It is likely that the delivery timeframe in these circumstances will align with the forecast completion date, and sunset date provisions, of the building contract and associated Contract of Sale. 

Each jurisdiction operates differently and has unique planning pathways. We encourage applicants to engage with their jurisdictional housing agency to discuss specific planning timeframe queries. Contact details for jurisdictional housing agencies are available here. 

Yes, Housing Australia and the jurisdictional housing agencies have agreed on timeframes for the assurance process during the Expression of Interest stage to ensure the submissions progress in a reasonable period and applicants are not disadvantaged. 

Housing Australia will be accepting EOI submissions from midday on 28 April 2025. The NHIF CT program is not competitive, and each submission will be assessed as it is submitted.  Housing Australia will continue to accept EOI submissions until all funds under the NHIF CT program have been allocated. 

These requests would be considered on a case-by-case basis by Housing Australia. However, the applicant would need to demonstrate that the net crisis or transitional housing stock level would not be negatively impacted; they would need to ensure that they provided crisis/transitional housing from elsewhere in their stock to maintain the overall supply. 

Dwellings funded by the NHIF CT should be designed and constructed using universal design principles to enable access for people with disability (for example the Liveable Housing Australia (LHA) silver standard (or any equivalent).  In most instances, builders will be required to have Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner (OFSC) accreditation also. 

Acquisition and conversion of residential dwellings only applies to newly constructed and not previously occupied dwellings.  If your proposed project falls outside of these parameters, please contact Housing Australia to discuss your project and its suitability for the NHIF CT program.  

There is an additionality requirement when projects are being assessed. You can convert rooming houses to crisis and transitional accommodation but it would be expected that this would result in an uplift in supply. 

The Investment Mandate is clear in the intention to fund additional stock to the overall crisis and transitional housing supply. Housing Australia will be seeking to fund projects that increase the amount of crisis and transitional accommodation available, and that complements the existing housing and homelessness system. 

An SPV is a new legal entity, registered as a corporation, that is an insulated vehicle to deliver a project. If you have questions about SPVs, how they work and whether that is the appropriate vehicle to deliver your project, please seek legal and accounting advice. 

This is not the first time that state and territory governments have operated as an assurer to applicants seeking Commonwealth funding. Information barrier protocols to safeguard the integrity of the program are being established. State and territory agency staff conducting assurance will not be the same staff members who prepare the jurisdiction’s applications. 

Yes, there is an Expression of Interest (EOI) Factsheet available here. Once an applicant is registered on the Housing Australia Portal (HAP) they will be able to access a ‘How To’ guide to provide guidance on using the portal to submit an EOI. 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure they are partnered with an appropriate service provision partner to deliver the specialist housing support required for the transitional and/or crisis accommodation (if they are not a specialist service provider themselves).  

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure they are partnered with an appropriate developer and/or building contractor to complete the capital works.