Ms Louisa Santoro:

As an application process, it is a 25-page application that is extremely wordy, requires a massive amount of documentation and is assessed under five headings. It is not user-friendly. We deal with many people who have literacy and language issues, so a 25-page form is outside of their scope. Nobody is helping them with this. The forms go back and forth and are ping-ponged for an extended period of time. We have to simplify the housing application process, which would make a huge difference. Without that housing application, in any local authority, people do not stand a chance. In any of the discussions we are having about Housing First or housing assistance payment, they do not get there - they do not even get the support of a key worker in supported temporary accommodation. It is a critical takeaway for this committee.