Working Women Hostel (Haryana)

What is the Working Women Hostel scheme in Haryana?

Working Women Hostel is a scheme of the Department of Women and Child Development, Haryana, whose stated objective is "to promote availability of safe and conveniently located accommodation for working women, with day care facility for their children". Nationally the same facility now runs as Sakhi Niwas, one of the components of the Samarthya sub-scheme of Mission Shakti.

Working Women Hostel exists because the practical barrier to a woman taking a job in another city is often not the job but the housing. The scheme answers that with two things: accommodation vetted for safety and location, and rent tied to a percentage of what the resident actually earns rather than a market rate.

Who is eligible for a Working Women Hostel?

You can apply if:

• You are a working woman who is single, widowed, divorced or separated.
• You are married but your husband or immediate family does not reside in the same city or area where you work.
• Your gross consolidated income does not exceed Rs 50,000 per month if you work in a metropolitan city, or Rs 35,000 per month in other areas.
• You are undergoing job training, in which case you may be accommodated for up to one year if space permits.

You cannot apply, or you must leave, if:

• You are a man. The scheme is confined to working women.
• Your income exceeds Rs 50,000 a month in a metropolitan city or Rs 35,000 a month elsewhere. Existing residents who cross the ceiling must vacate within six months.
• Your husband or immediate family lives in the same city or area where you work, which removes the accommodation need the scheme is designed for.
• You are a trainee and the hostel has already filled its trainee quota: trainees cannot exceed 30 per cent of total capacity, so admission is subject to that cap even if beds are free.
• You are not employed and not in training. Being a working woman or a trainee is the core condition.

How much rent does a Working Women Hostel charge?

Rent is calculated as a share of the resident's total emoluments, not as a flat figure, so a lower-paid resident pays less in rupees for the same room.

A woman earning Rs 30,000 a month therefore pays no more than Rs 4,500 for a single room, Rs 3,000 for a double room or Rs 2,250 for a dormitory bed, with day care capped at Rs 1,500 for a child.

Which Working Women Hostels operate in Haryana?

The Haryana Women and Child Development Department lists seven working women hostels in the state, with a combined sanctioned capacity of 471 seats:

Occupancy varies sharply between hostels. Department figures show the Rohtak MDU hostel fully occupied at 60 of 60 seats, while Hisar showed 7 residents against 86 seats and Rohtak (Red Cross) 20 against 36. If your first choice is full, check the nearest alternative rather than assuming the scheme is closed.

What documents are required?

How to apply for a Working Women Hostel in Haryana

1. Open the Saral Haryana portal at saralharyana.gov.in, which is the department's stated application route for this scheme.
2. Register as a new user with your mobile number and email address, or sign in if you already have a Saral account.
3. Use Search Service on the portal, or the scheme and services list, to find the Women and Child Development service for Working Women Hostel accommodation.
4. Fill the application form with your employment details, monthly gross emoluments, current address, preferred hostel location and room type.
5. Upload the documents — employment proof, income proof, identity proof and photographs, plus the training letter or child's birth certificate if applicable.
6. Submit and note the Saral reference ID. Every Saral application generates a tracking ID; save it.
7. Track the application on the Saral portal using that reference ID, and respond promptly if the hostel warden or District Programme Officer asks for clarification.
8. Complete admission at the hostel once allotment is confirmed, paying the rent as a percentage of your emoluments.

How to check the status of your application

1. Sign in to saralharyana.gov.in with the mobile number used at registration.
2. Open Track Application Status and enter your Saral reference ID.
3. If the status has not moved for several weeks, call the Saral helpline on 0172-3968400, available 7 AM to 8 PM, Monday to Saturday excluding gazetted holidays.
4. For hostel-specific questions such as vacancy, contact the District Programme Officer, Women and Child Development of the district where the hostel is located.

Why applications get rejected

• Income above the ceiling. Gross consolidated income over Rs 50,000 a month in a metropolitan city or Rs 35,000 elsewhere disqualifies the applicant.
• Family resident in the same city. A married applicant whose husband or immediate family lives in the same city or area does not meet the core condition.
• Trainee quota full. Trainees cannot exceed 30 per cent of capacity, so a trainee application can be refused even with beds available.
• No hostel in the district. Only seven hostels exist, in Rohtak, Hisar, Panchkula, Jind, Kurukshetra and Faridabad. An applicant working elsewhere must choose a hostel within commuting distance.
• Employment proof not attached, the most common documentary rejection.
• Mismatch between income declared and salary slip, which stalls verification.

Where to complain

• Saral Haryana helpline: 0172-3968400, 7 AM to 8 PM, Monday to Saturday.
• District Programme Officer, Women and Child Development, in the district of the hostel, for allotment and rent disputes.
• Department of Women and Child Development, Haryana, wcdhry.gov.in, for state-level escalation.
• Women Helpline 181, free and 24x7, if a resident faces harassment or a safety issue.

Applying through Saral Haryana is free. Rent is payable only to the hostel against a receipt, and no agent can charge you for securing a seat.