Glossary - Homelessness and Housing Support Guidelines

ACCO: Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation

AHHF: Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Forum

AIHW: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

API: application programming interface

APRAP: Aboriginal Private Rental Assistance Program

APSS: Agency Performance and System Support

ATAR: Aboriginal Tenants at Risk Program. It was formerly known as the Indigenous Tenants at Risk Program

BHHP: Better Health and Housing Program

CAV: Consumer Affairs Victoria

Child: A person 0 to 15 years of age

CMS: customer management system

CHP: Council to Homeless Persons

Clients: Individuals and families seeking housing and support

DFFH: Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, also referred to as ‘the department’

Dwellings: any dwelling and any private outdoor space leased to a Renter under a Rental Agreement, located in a Premises

FAC: Funded Agency Channel

FSV: Family Safety Victoria

FVISS: Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme

HCC: Housing Call Centre: the dedicated unit within DFFH responsible for:

  • receiving requests for maintenance and repairs; and
  • issuing work orders for Urgent Repairs, Responsive Repairs, Preventative Maintenance or Operational Vacated Maintenance to the maintenance contractors.

HEF: Housing Establishment Fund

HRSAP: Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan

IAP: initial assessment and planning

ISE: information sharing entity

JUI: Joined-Up Initiative

LASN: Local area service network

LGBTIQA+: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, queer questioning and asexual

mainstream homelessness service: Use this term for non-ACCO SHS until other terminology is introduced  

MARAM: Victorian Family Violence Multi-Risk Assessment and Management Framework

NASSH: National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness

OC: Owners Corporation

ODF: Opening Doors Framework

Operational Vacated Maintenance: the repair, essential safety checks, and other maintenance works to be carried at the end of a Rental Agreement and prior to the commencement of a new Rental Agreement with the new Renter, to ensure the Dwelling meets minimum standards in accordance with the RTA and all relevant Legislative Requirements.

Performance Standards: the Performance Standards determined by the Minister for Housing in accordance with section 93 of the Housing Act 1983 (Vic) which set out the standards that registered agencies are required to meet under the Housing Act 1983 (Vic).

PRAP: Private Rental Assistance Program

Preventative Maintenance: regular maintenance works and activity to maintain the amenity and condition of the Premises and Dwellings in order to reduce the likelihood of Responsive Repairs.

Renter: A household which has a right to occupy a dwelling under a Rental Agreement, and where the context requires, any such household which has been allocated a dwelling in accordance with all applicable Legislative Requirements.

Responsive Repairs: day-to-day maintenance, repair or replacement of or to Dwellings to keep and maintain an item or component in good working condition, including due to any form of Renter damage and/or neglect.

RTA: Residential Tenancies Act 1997

RTR: Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021

service users: Individuals and families seeking housing and support  

SHIP: Specialist Homelessness Information Platform

SHS: SHS receive funding from the Victorian Government. They include ACCOs and ACCHOs that deliver homelessness services

SHSC: Specialist Homelessness Services Collection

THM: Transitional Housing Management

Urgent Repairs: has the meaning set out in the RTA

VAHHF: Victorian Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Framework

VCAT: Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal

VHR: Victorian Housing Register

VISHN: Victorian Indigenous State-wide Homelessness Network

VMS: Vacancy Management System

young person: A person aged 16 to 24 years inclusive