The homelessness emergency will continue to worsen, as new data reveals rental affordability has hit another record low.
The housing crisis has hit a new, depressing low, with the latest PropTrack data revealing it's harder than ever to afford rents in places like New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.
Homelessness Australia is urging all political parties to reveal their plans to deliver real solutions to the crisis of homelessness as the election nears.
"Australians are struggling to find and keep a roof over their heads. Many are having to leave their communities where they have jobs and social support networks because they can no longer afford to live there. Working families are sleeping in tents. It's not good enough, Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin said.
"This is more than a homelessness emergency, it's a mental health emergency, a handbrake in productivity, and a threat to social cohesion. People need somewhere they can afford to live and it's become impossible for so many," Kate Colvin said.
Homelessness Australia is calling on political parties to tell the community how they plan to help Australians live without fear of becoming homeless.
"An expansion of homelessness supports and scaled up investment in social housing, as well as a further boost to Commonwealth Rent Assistance would help people without homes," Kate Colvin said.
"The rental housing crisis isn't just a problem for renters and those who don't have a home. The social and economic costs of homelessness are huge. If we want a healthier, happier and more productive society, we need to start with a secure place for people to live. It's the foundation of someone's life, and it's hard to imagine living without it," Kate Colvin said.
The Labor Government has taken important steps, with funding for a pipeline of new social housing and crisis and transitional housing for young people and women fleeing domestic violence and increases to Commonwealth Rent Assistance. But this is our country's biggest challenge right now, and whoever forms the next Government needs to continue and scale up efforts to fix our broken housing system."
