Victoria has failed to increase its proportion of social housing despite a worsening crisis which is pushing more people into homelessness.
An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report released on Friday reveals social housing makes up just 2.9 per cent of the state’s residential properties.
The report confirms Victoria has the lowest percentage of social housing in Australia, with every other state and territory boasting a higher figure. Social housing refers to both public and community housing.
Victoria’s social housing supply has been in decline since 2014 when social housing made up 3.5 per cent of all households across the state.
Council to Homeless Persons CEO Deborah Di Natale said the issue needed urgent attention.
“We simply can’t have a situation where more people and families are being pushed into homelessness while the rate of public and community housing in Victoria remains dismally low,” she said.
“These figures clearly show that good investments like the Big Housing Build must be a first step, not the final word.
“No one is underestimating the scale of this challenge. But committing to build at least 6000 public and community housing properties a year is the best way out of this crisis.
“There are 58,000 households urgently in need of housing in Victoria, with 31,000 of those on the priority list. The need to boost social housing supply has never been more urgent.
“With homelessness up 24 per cent across the state, we desperately need to arrest the crisis with ambitious social housing commitments.
“Victoria is ranked last on social housing across Australia. That desperately needs to change.”
Australia’s social housing league table
State/territory | Social housing proportion |
NT | 14.6% |
ACT | 6.3% |
SA | 6.1% |
Tasmania | 6.1% |
NSW | 4.7% |
Australia | 4.1% |
WA | 3.9% |
Queensland | 3.5% |
Victoria | 2.9% |
