Grants and allowances > Other Organisations >

Student Hostels Assistance

Purpose

Department of Education, Training and the Arts provides recurrent and capital assistance to eligible non-profit organisations providing hostel accommodation in rural areas to accommodate geographically isolated primary and secondary students (including students with disabilities) so they may have daily access to schools.

Expenditure Guidelines

Recurrent Assistance

The Student Hostel Recurrent Grant is a per capita grant designed to assist hostels with operational costs. The Department strongly encourages expenditure of 40% on pastoral care services to students in hostels.

Continued payment is conditional upon the provision of a Financial Certificate signed by an auditor and the completion of a satisfactory Statement of Uses and Benefits for the funds received in the previous calendar year. Student attendance is also certified by both the hostel management authority and school principal(s).

Capital Assistance

A subsidy of up to 50% is available for approved capital expenditure incurred by eligible organisations in maintaining, establishing, improving or equipping an approved student hostel.

Hostel management authorities must account for capital grant funds received by completing a Financial Statement and Audit Report, to be signed by a qualified auditor.

Duration of Program

Ongoing

Policy Reference

Paragraph 368 of the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (new window) (Part 9)
Education Policy and Procedures Register FNM-PR-015: Student Hostel Support Scheme

Eligibility

All benefits are conditional upon hostels being approved to receive funding. Hostels must demonstrate triennially that they continue to meet hostel general funding conditions.

Recurrent Assistance

Students must be in attendance for at least four consecutive weeks in a semester.
Parents of students must reside in Queensland.
Students must attend an approved school.

Capital Assistance

Hostels indicate in December, an intention to apply for capital funding in the following financial year.
Hostels complete formal applications by 31 May for further consideration.
All applications received are assessed according to established criteria.
Hostels must not commence work prior to being officially notified of funding approval.

Form of Assistance

Cash grant

Payment Details

Recurrent Assistance

Payment	During month of	Entitlement paid if
Semester 1	March	Students are in attendance for at least four weeks prior to claim being submitted
Semester 2	August	Students are in attendance for at least four weeks prior to claim being submitted
Supplementary	November	Students are enrolled between August & October

Capital Assistance

During month of	Entitlement paid
During financial year of approval	up to 50% of approved project costs

Current Rates

Student Hostel Recurrent Grant

Rates of payment for Recurrent Grant from 01 January 2008.

First 20 students, $1 268.00 per student per annum
Each additional student $846.00 per student per annum
Minimum grant per hostel $10144.00. (Hostels with 8 eligible students or less will receive the minimum grant until enrolments increase or while the hostel retains approval status.)

Capital Grant

Up to 50% of approved project costs up to a maximum of $50 000 per hostel per annum.

Data Requirements

Recurrent Assistance

Data Required	Data Source	Time Collected
Student names, home addresses, boarding dates, schools attended, years enrolled	Hostel	March, August, November
Financial Certificate and Statement of Uses and Benefits	Hostel	Second Semester

Capital Grant

Data Required	Data Source	Time Collected
Intention to apply for capital funding in the following financial year	Hostel	December
Formal application	Hostel	May
Financial Statement and Audit Report	Hostel	Accompany next Financial Certificate for recurrent funding

Contact

Further information specific to Student Hostels Assistance,
telephone (07) 3237 0864.

School Financial Services Unit

Phone:: (07) 3237 0774
Fax:: (07) 3237 1187

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