Individual and exceptional circumstances | Resilient Homes Program
The Individual and Exceptional Circumstances Policy recognises that some people face additional barriers and challenges that can make them more vulnerable and place them at greater risk from the impacts of future flooding.
Consideration of individual and exceptional circumstances in program applications
The Resilient Homes Program aims to increase the safety and resilience of communities to the risk of future flooding, so people can better withstand the impacts of future floods and communities can stay together and thrive.
To ensure that available funding is directed to those most in need, the program will prioritise residents who meet the eligibility criteria in the Resilient Homes Program Guideline and who face additional challenges and barriers when it comes to their safety and withstanding the impacts of future flooding events.
Homeowners are encouraged to include any individual and exceptional circumstances relevant to them when they apply for the Resilient Homes Program.
What are individual and exceptional circumstances?
One or more individual circumstances may be taken into consideration to inform a homeowner’s eligibility for the Resilient Homes Program.
Individual and exceptional circumstance considerations include:
- the homeowner’s age, where this may affect their physical or cognitive ability to respond to future flood events
- where the homeowner has a disability or medical condition that affects their physical or cognitive ability to respond to future flood events
- where the homeowner is a parent, guardian or carer of a dependent who resides in the home who has a disability or medical condition affecting physical or cognitive ability to respond to future flood events
- disadvantage associated with a homeowner’s socio-economic or financial hardship status
- the homeowner has a serious mental health condition
- the homeowner has been diagnosed with a terminal illness
- adjustments were made to, or planned for, the home due to physical or intellectual disabilities prior to the Flood Event, which may affect stream eligibility (for example, a house raising may not be suitable for a person with accessibility constraints)
- other individual and exceptional circumstances that may affect the homeowner’s ability to keep safe and withstand future flood events, considered on a case-by-case basis.
How are these circumstances reviewed as part of an application?
Individual and exceptional circumstances such as social vulnerability, are considered at the beginning of application review process alongside other eligibility such as future flood risk.
Where a homeowner believes that one or more individual or exceptional circumstances apply to them, they should provide information about these circumstances in their application. They should also provide supporting documentation as part of their application, or they can provide this at a later time with the Resilient Homes Program team.
Please see the Individual and Exceptional Circumstances Policy (PDF 136.34KB) for further information on the evidence required to support an application and the assessment process.
Support available
The Resilient Homes Program team can help you with filling out your application and with attaching your required supporting information.
You can get support in person at one of our Community Pop-ups, or you can call us on 1800 844 085 or email on resilienthomesporgram@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au.
Next steps
For more information
Fact sheets and guidance
Find resources about the Resilient Homes Program in our publications and reports library
