4 hours Ago By Sarah Petty
Victoria’s social housing waitlist was 61,587 in June 2024 — up 3000 compared to March 2024. Victoria’s social housing waitlist has surged so high that they couldn’t all fit into Marvel Stadium. Shock figures have revealed the worsening extent of the state’s housing crisis, with 61,587 people on the Victorian Housing register as of June 2024.
It is up more than 3000 compared to March three months earlier. RELATED: More than 100 homes have been lost from Victoria’s public housing Homelessness peak bodies accuse state gov of selling public land for social housing Calls for state government to ‘pick up the slack’ in social housing fund shortfall Marvel Stadium has a 53,359 person crowd capacity. It comes on the one-year anniversary of the Victorian Housing Statement, which committed to building 12,000 social and affordable homes.
The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) is calling on the Allan government to amend the Housing Statement by committing to build at least 60,000 social and affordable homes over the next decade and to invest more in homelessness services. They noted that the Housing Statement’s 12,000 home commitment was just a revamp of the existing Big Housing Build promise made in 2020. An auditor-general’s report released in June this year projected only 80 per cent, or 9600, would be built by 2026, with the rest to be three years behind schedule.
CHP’s new Housing Insecurity Index found more than 10,000 Victorians had looked to access specialist homelessness services every month since January 2023. The Index also shows the proportion of social housing of the state’s total housing stock is just 2.8 per cent — the lowest in Australia.
Ms Di Natale said their Index showed things had got worse for Victorians. CHP chief executive Deborah Di Natale said the Housing Statement was meant to be a landmark in tackling the housing crisis, but all key indicators showed it wouldn’t stop more people becoming homeless. “Our Housing Insecurity Index clearly shows things have actually gotten worse for Victorians at the brink of homelessness since the government unveiled its Housing Statement last year,” Ms Di Natale said.
“At the moment, it’s unclear how much of the government’s 800,000-home target is actually social housing. “The Big Housing Build is a great initiative, but unfortunately the data tells us it’s going to be nowhere near enough to end this housing emergency.” It was absolutely vital public and community housing commitments were dramatically increased with more than 60,000 people on the public housing waiting list, she added.
An auditor-general’s report projected only 80 per cent, or 9600, of the 12,000 new social and affordable homes committed to by the state government would be built by 2026. Victorian Public Tenants Association Katelyn Butterss said homelessness in Victoria was getting worse. “We are calling on the government to be more ambitious and commit to a greater social housing uplift than their 10 per cent committed,” Ms Butterss said.
“We are asking the government to commit to doubling the public housing that is already on these sites, and promising that any additional density be safeguarded for more social and affordable housing on top of that.” She added that government-owned land sites needed to be safeguarded. “These are highly valuable sites, and Victorians gain the most from them when Government continues to hold them as an asset,” Ms Butterss said.
“We do not want to see these important blocks sold. We will never again be able to get it back.” Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update.
Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox. MORE: How to get a new home with just $10,000 Victorian homelessness inquiry receives government response nearly three years overdue Victorian rental crisis: Properties under $400 a week dry up, plunge by nearly 50,000 sarah.petty@news.
com.au.
