New housing index shows crisis worse since Housing Statement announced

Victoria’s housing crisis has worsened on nearly every key indicator one year since the state government’s Housing Statement.

Council to Homeless Persons’ new Housing Insecurity Index tracks key housing indicators which gauge the pressure Victorians are under to put a roof over their head.

The inaugural index, released to mark one year since the government’s Housing Statement, shows:

• Annual rents rose 13.3% across the state, with a 14.6% increase in Melbourne, and 5.3% in regional areas
• The public housing waiting list is now at 61,587
• The number of people who received support from Specialist Homelessness Services in Victoria increased from 30,510 in July 2017 to 32,496 in June 2024
• The number of people accessing specialist homelessness services because of housing stress has been above 10,000 for every month since January 2023
• Proportion of social housing in Victoria’s total housing stock is just 2.8% – the lowest in Australia

The report made three key recommendations: amend the Housing Statement, commit to building at least 6000 social housing properties each year for a decade and invest more in homelessness services.

Council to Homeless Persons CEO Deborah Di Natale said the index showed more ambitious social housing targets were desperately needed.

“The Housing Statement was meant to be a landmark in tackling this crisis, but all key indicators are showing us it simply won’t be enough to stop more people from 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.

“We’re calling on the Victorian Government to amend its Housing Statement so the state is committed to building at least 6000 new public and community homes each year for a decade.

“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.

“With 60,000 people on the public housing waiting list, it’s absolutely vital public and community housing commitments are dramatically increased.”

An auditor-general’s report found the Big Housing Build would finish 80 per cent of the 12,000 homes by the end of 2026, with the remainder three years behind schedule.

A bipartisan Victorian parliamentary committee in November called on the government to build 60,000 new social housing dwellings by 2034, with 40,000 completed by 2028.