Financial assistance to eligible individuals and families whose homes have been damaged by a natural disaster.

If your home or essential household contents were damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, you may be eligible for the Disaster Relief Grant for individuals.

The financial assistance is provided to help people to recover from the effects of a disaster and re-establish a basic standard of living. It is not provided to replace insurance or compensate for losses.

The grants assist low-income residents who have no other means of restoring their homes to a safe and habitable condition following a disaster event.

Assistance falls into two categories: 

1. Essential Household Contents assists low-income residents who have no other means of purchasing or repairing these essential household items and are not covered by insurance. Rough sleepers can apply for a small grant that is contribution to replacing essential items, such as a tent and sleeping bag.
2. Structural Grants provide a contribution toward essential structural works for households unable to meet the cost of repairs and may also assist in relocation-related costs. These grants assist low-income homeowners who have no other means of restoring their homes to a safe and habitable condition.

If the natural disaster event has caused damage to a temporary dwelling, assistance provided will depend on the type of temporary dwelling. There are several types of temporary dwelling support available, including support for people living in caravans, houseboats and relocatable homes and rough sleepers.

To apply

To see if you are eligible call Service NSW on 13 77 88. Service NSW will transfer you to Revenue NSW who will discuss with you what is required and determine if you may be eligible to receive an application form.

You may be eligible for financial support if the following apply: 

• your primary place of residence was damaged by a natural disaster 
• you do not have insurance for the damage or your insurance doesn’t cover the damage caused during this natural disaster 
• you are a low-income earner after tax and mortgage, or rent have been deducted with limited financial resources
• it has been less than four months since the disaster.

If there are multiple individuals with differentially owned assets living within the one address, for example, in a share-house arrangement, each individual must make their own application, covering only those items which belong to them, and which are in scope.

You may not be eligible if any of the following apply:

• lack of maintenance has caused or impacted the damage, such as poor roof maintenance
• the damage is cosmetic and not essential to living in a safe and habitable home.

• Phone: 13 77 88