Victorians waiting longer for homes as public wait times surge

Council to Homeless Persons

Victoria’s public housing waiting times have blown out to an average of almost 20 months for people who have been assessed as a high priority.

New figures released today in the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing annual report show average wait times in 2023/24 increased to 19.8 months for people with priority access.

That is 88 per cent longer than the Victorian government’s own target of 10.5 months, and a 30 per cent increase from two years ago.

Council to Homeless Persons has warned the state’s dire shortage of social housing is behind the soaring wait times, which are now happening during the worst housing crisis in living memory.

People with priority access due to family violence are on average waiting 19.5 months for public housing.

The report also shows 101,804 people received help to address and prevent homelessness in 2023/24, an increase of about 3500 on the previous financial year.

Council to Homeless Persons Chief Executive Officer Deborah Di Natale said the situation was unacceptable.

“People who desperately need public housing are spending years on the waiting list with devastating consequences,” she said.

“An average of almost 20 months for people who have been assessed as needing priority housing is an indictment on Victoria’s capacity to provide a basic human right.

“More than 100,000 people came to homelessness services – showing how critical we are during a housing crisis. But it’s also important to remember not every person who receives homelessness support gets a home at the end of it.

“Women in unsafe situations with their children are still waiting more than a year and a half for a safe home. This forces people into awful choices between safety and housing.

“The number one takeaway from these figures is that the State Government must urgently build more public and community housing.

“It's pleasing to see 2,938 new social homes were added during the year, but it’s clearly just a fraction of what the state needs given the average wait times are up 30 per cent in just two years.

“At least 6000 social homes each year for a decade is the bare minimum we need to address this crisis.”

Fast facts:

Homelessness in Victoria rose 24% at the last Census
In 2021, more than 30,000 Victorians were without a home on Census night - almost 6,000 more than the previous Census in 2016
In June there were 61,587 applications for public and community housing on the waiting list
Victoria lags behind every other state and territory on social housing, with public and community housing residents making up just 2.8% of Victoria’s households

Contact details:

Matt Coughlan 0400 561 480 / matt@hortonadvisory.com.au