The Housing and Community Services Bureau was established on 14 December 1989. The aim of the Bureau was to provide and facilitate the delivery of housing and community services to individuals, facilities and the community. The Bureau operated under various administrative structures, but in 1995, the Housing and Community Services Bureau’s functions were separated. Some were transferred to the Children’s, Youth and Family Services Division within the Department of Education and Training, and others to the ACT Housing Division, Department of Urban Services.
The Housing and Community Services Bureau consisted of the ACT Housing Trust, Family Services, Community Programs, Disability Services and Corrective Services.
On 4 July 1990 the Bureau was subsumed into the ACT Government Department of Justice and Community Services, however it remained a discrete administration unit and reported to the Attorney-General and Minister for Housing and Community Services through the Department.
In 1994, administrative changes saw the Bureau transferred from the Attorney-General’s Department to the Department of Urban Services, however they continued to report to the Minister for Housing and Community Services.