Apply for financial support after domestic and family violence

Safer Families Assistance

Safer Families Assistance is a $2,000 payment you could get from the ACT Government if you have experienced domestic or family violence.

You cannot get it if you are a Housing ACT tenant.

You can use the payment to maintain or set up your home. This includes:

• mortgage or rent payments
• household items
• activities for your children
• legal services.

You can get it if:

• you are 16 or older
• your weekly income is less than the income limits
• you are referred by an ACT service that helps people who are experiencing domestic or family violence
• you have not previously received this payment
• you are not a tenant or on the Priority Housing Waitlist of Housing ACT.

The service or person that refers you can be:

• your GP or doctor
• another medical professional
• a police officer
• a Child and Youth Protection officer
• a social worker
• an employee at a housing and homelessness organisation.

Income limits

To apply, your total weekly income before tax cannot be more than:

• $2,218.65 for a single person
• $2,958.20 if you have one child, plus $295.82 for each extra child.

Working out your weekly income

For this program, your income can be worked out using either:

• your income before tax for the year before the application date
• your average weekly income before tax in the month before the application date.

What is counted as income

For this program income includes:

• salary or wages, bonuses and overtime.
• payment for services, commission and tips
• rent or lease payments to you
• interest from bank accounts and dividends
• investment income
• allowances, pensions and benefits from the Australian or local government.

What does not count as income

For this program income does not include Australian or local government payments provided for something other than housing or to meet the cost of living.

Payments that do not count as income include:

• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding
• Child care benefit.

One-off special purpose payments unrelated to housing are also not counted as income. These include:

• one-off energy supplements provided to pension recipients
• crisis, emergency relief or short-term financial assistance
• victims of crime compensation payments.

If your income is more than the limit

You may still be able to get the payment.

You’ll need to talk to Housing ACT about your situation. To do this you can:

• contact Housing ACT
• ask the person or agency referring you to contact Housing ACT.

Housing ACT will consider your situation and let you know the outcome.

What you need to apply

You’ll need:

• a supporting letter from a referring agency
• proof of identity
• proof of income.

How to apply

Usually, the person or agency who writes the support letter will apply for you.

They can either:

• download, fill in and sign the Safer Families Assistance application form [PDF 976 kB]
• use a form you can get from Housing ACT if you visit in person.

You can give us the application in one of the following ways.

• Scan the signed form, support letter and proof of income documents and email to saferfamiliesassistance@act.gov.au
• post to Safer Families Assistance, Housing ACT, Locked Bag 3000, Belconnen ACT 2617
• hand it in to Housing ACT.

If you need help to apply

Contact Housing ACT.

After you apply

It takes about one week to assess your application.

You or the support agency who applied for you will get a letter from Housing Act telling you the outcome of your application.

If you’re approved

You’ll get the payment in the bank account you put on the application form. It can take up to 10 business days.

If you’re not approved

You can ask Housing ACT to review the decision.

Contact us

Housing ACT looks after the Safer Families Assistance payment. You can contact them if you have questions about the payment or how to apply.