The number of working Victorians seeking homelessness help has surged to a record high, with a 23% rise over the past five years, according to alarming new data.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s 2023/24 Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report was released today.
It found 13,715 employed Victorians sought homelessness assistance this financial year – a 23% jump on five years ago.
The report also found women aged between 20 and 39 are the main demographic seeking support.
More than half (55%) of all women, young people, and children who visited specialist homelessness services were experiencing family and domestic violence.
Women made up 58 per cent of the 102,000 people across the state who sought homelessness support.
The highest concentration of homelessness services visits were from women aged between 30-34 (7013) and boys between 0-9 (7189).
Rough sleeping in Victoria jumped 21 per cent over the past five years, with a six per cent annual increase.
There was a 16 per cent annual rise in people nominating housing affordability stress – high rents or mortgage repayments – as the main driver behind seeking homelessness help.
In a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of rental support programs, 91 per cent of people who sought support while at risk of homelessness maintained housing.
Council to Homeless Persons Chief Executive Officer Deborah Di Natale said:
“This sharp surge in the number of working Victorians forced to seek homelessness help shows the state desperately needs more ambition in tackling the housing crisis.
“Having a job is no longer protection against homelessness, which is an alarming reality that we can only fix by investing in more public and community housing.
“This report also shows us that too often young women and their children are the face of homelessness – a critical indicator that we need to do more to help victim-survivors of domestic violence.
“Family and domestic violence is the main driver of homelessness for almost a third of all people who seek help.
“Violence is leading to women making impossible choices between the safety of themselves and their children, or having a roof over their head.
“This societal failure to provide the basic human right of housing must be addressed.
“While rough sleeping remains a relatively small portion of all homelessness, a surge over the past five years shows exactly why the state government must fund the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan beyond its expiry in June next year.
“Housing stress has also risen sharply at the same time as we’re seeing a more than 90 per cent success rate in rental support programs.
“These underfunded schemes, along with at least 6000 new social homes each year, should be at the heart of the Victorian government’s roadmap to seriously tackle this crisis and start us on a path to ending homelessness for good.”