There is a wait list for social housing, and unfortunately, it’s a long list. For Social Housing in New South Wales, estimated waiting times are updated each year, and can fall into four categories: less than 2 years, 2-5 years, 5-10 years, and more than 10 years.

The time that you can expect to wait for social housing depends on:

• The volume of appropriate vacancies and number of properties in the area
• How many people are needing the same type of property in the area
• Whether offers of public housing, community housing, or Aboriginal housing are accepted.
• How many “priority” applicants are on the list above non-priority applicants.

A priority applicant is someone with complex needs who has been assessed to determine the urgency of their situation. Certain criteria must be met to be approved for priority access.