The ABC published the following disturbing chart showing the disturbing lack of social and public housing in Victoria.
As you can see, social housing comprised only 3% of households in Victoria in 2023, well below the national average of 4%, which is considered low by global standards.
“More than a third of Australians who are seeking homelessness support are living in Victoria, and yet we have the smallest proportion of social housing”, Deborah Di Natale from peak body Council to Homeless Persons said.
“Is it any wonder we’re finding ourselves in the crisis we’re in?”
The Council to Homeless Persons recently warned that Victoria has around 30% more people in housing stress seeking help from homelessness services than New South Wales or Queensland.
“These unprecedented levels of housing stress will increase homelessness unless we act urgently to build more social housing”, Council to Homeless Persons CEO Deborah Di Natale said.
“Victoria is desperately behind the rest of the country on public and community housing, with at least 6000 new homes needed each year for a decade as a bare minimum”.
“Rising rents and low vacancy rates are pushing people to the brink of homelessness”, Di Natale said.
The Herald-Sun recently reported that “Melbourne has become Australia’s youth homelessness capital with more than 15,000 needing help to keep a roof over their head”.
The rise in Victorian homelessness occurred amid a population expansion of 2.3 million this century, with the state officially projecting an additional 4.2 million people by 2056.
As population growth outpaces supply, Victoria’s housing crisis will worsen, driving more people into homelessness.
The Victorian government is more concerned with wasting $200 billion on the Suburban Rail Loop boondoggle and begging India for students than with fulfilling basic state government responsibilities, including social housing.
