Veteran Housing and Loans
https://www.dva.gov.au/about-us/overview/overview-dva-benefits-and-services
Summary
Subsidised loan assistance and insurance benefits are available to eligible current and former ADF personnel.
The Defence Service Homes (DSH) Scheme provides a subsidised loan of up to $25,000 repayable over 25 years to qualifying ex-service men and women (and certain dependants).
Defence Service Home Loans
DVA administers the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme (DHOAS) on behalf of the Department of Defence. The Scheme (DHOAS) assists current and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families to achieve homeownership
A Home Support Loan of up to $10,000 is also available to assist with the cost of home maintenance and modifications and other housing-related purposes. For further information, please see Defence Service Home Loans or visit the DHOAS website at www.dhoas.gov.au.
Eligibility
DHOAS is available to current and former ADF personnel, and their surviving partners, who have served in the ADF after 1 July 2008, completed a qualifying period and accrued a Service Credit.
If you served between 15 May 1985 and 30 June 2008, you may have been eligible for the Defence Home Owner Scheme (DHOS), which closed on 30 June 2010. In some very limited circumstances, if you were eligible but unable to apply for your benefits before the scheme closed, you may be able to access benefits under the DHOAS scheme. For more information phone DHOAS on 1300 434 627 or visit the Previous subsidy schemes DHOS/DSH page of the DHOAS website at https://www.dhoas.gov.au/previous-schemes-dsh-and-dhos.html.
Defence Services Home Insurance
The Defence Service Homes Insurance Scheme (commonly referred to as DSH Insurance) provides home building insurance to all current and former members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with at least one day of service regardless of their type of service.
DSH Insurance also provides access to a range of other insurance products including, for example, contents, landlord and car insurance. These products are available to anyone in the Defence community.
Eligibility
If you have served in the ADF or you are the widow/widower of someone who has, you are eligible to access home building insurance through DSH Insurance.
If you are not eligible for home building insurance through DSH Insurance but are part of the Defence community, we can arrange a home building policy through QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited.
What's offered
DSH Insurance offers building insurance coverage with:
- flood, fusion and accidental damage cover as standard
- no excess other than for earthquakes and some accidental damage claims
- flexible payment options, and
- economical premiums.
DSH Insurance can also arrange other personal insurances through partnership with QBE including:
- contents
- car
- caravan
- boat
- residential landlords liability, and
- compulsory third party (QLD and NSW only)
To access or have a claim Contact DSH Insurance on 1300 552 662 or use the online form
Homelessness Support Services
DVA offers support for you and your family if you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
How to get help
For assistance and to get the support you need, you can:
- contact us on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)
- call Open Arms Veterans and Families Counselling on 1800 011 046. Open Arms is a confidential service and available 24 hours a day.
You can also go to one of Veterans Access Network offices to talk to someone about your situation.
Crisis payment
A crisis payment may be paid to you to help you find somewhere to live or you need to change accommodation because of family violence.
To receive a crisis payment you need to be:
- receiving service pension, income support supplement or age pension through us
- have made a claim for one of these payments
- living in Australia
- be eligible to receive payment
- in severe financial hardship
More information about the crisis payment can be found here Crisis payment page.
Crisis accommodation program
To access the crisis accommodation program you need to call Open Arms on 1800 011 046. They will assess your eligibility and suitability for the program.
If you are eligible, they will book you into accommodation as close as possible to your current location.
Who is eligible
The program is open to:
- current members of the ADF
- former members of the ADF
- their partner
- a dependent child
A list of ESOs that provide homelessness services to veterans and their families can be found here https://www.dva.gov.au/financial-support/income-support/help-buy-property-or-find-accommodation/homelessness-support
Help with Rent
Rent assistance is a non-taxable allowance to help meet the cost of private rented accommodation.
Some veterans and their families paying private rent may receive an increased rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance; or become eligible for Rent Assistance if they also receive Service Pension, Income Support Supplement or Veteran Payment; or have a net increase in their Social Security payment.
What is considered to be rent?
Rent is an amount paid by a person regularly for occupying a residence and includes:
- rent for private rental accommodation
- fees for the hire, rental or leasing of a caravan site or to moor a boat
- lodging
- board and lodging (if you cannot identify the amount paid for lodging, 2/3rds of the total amount you pay is taken to be rent)
- fees paid to a non-government-funded residential care facility
- fees for nursing-home type accommodation in a facility that is not subsidised by the Government
- fees paid for services in a self-care retirement village
- site fees for relocatable homes.
You may also be eligible for rent assistance if you have sold your principal residence and are paying rent while you wait to buy or build another.
Who is eligible
You are eligible to receive rent assistance if you:
- are eligible for service pension, income support supplement or veteran payment;
- pay rent other than Government (public housing) rent;
- pay a minimum amount of rent known as the rent threshold. The rent threshold is $127.60 for a single person and $206.40 for a member of a couple; and
- live in Australia.
Who is not eligible
You are not eligible for rent assistance if you:
- pay rent to a government housing authority;
- own or are paying off the home you live in unless you are an eligible homeowner;
- have a long term accommodation arrangement such as life interest from a deceased estate (refer to Granny Flats, Retirement Villages and Sale-Leaseback Agreements);
- are overseas permanently, or temporarily for long periods (refer to Travelling or Living Overseas);
- are in a residential aged care facility that receives government funding (refer to Aged Care and your income support pension);
- live in a retirement village and have paid an entry contribution of more than $216,500 (totalling all contracts) whether single or a member of a couple;
- receive incentive allowance from Centrelink;
- pay rent which is less than the rent threshold; or
- have (or your partner has) a dependent child under 16 (refer to Dependent Children and your Income Support Payments).
For more information and other forms of accommodation, assistance refer to https://www.dva.gov.au/financial-support/income-support/help-buy-property-or-find-accommodation/help-your-rent
