A long-term analysis of rough sleeping in Victoria reveals fewer than two in 10 people seeking homelessness help have secured social housing.
Council to Homeless Persons CEO Deborah Di Natale said the troubling Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data highlighted the urgent need for more public and community dwellings.
Just 2,631 of the 19,868 rough sleepers (13%) who received support between 2016 and 2018 were in public or community housing by the time their support wrapped up.
Some 8,702 people continued sleeping rough or returned to it during the period 2019-2021.
Productivity Commission data previously revealed the slow growth in social housing. There were 81,083 dwellings in 2023, up from 80,146 the year before and 78,917 in 2021.
"Rough sleepers are among the most vulnerable people in our community. It is unacceptable that fewer than two in 10 people are offered social housing," Ms Di Natale said.
"Meanwhile, we've got more than 58,000 families that spend year after year on the waitlist for social housing.
"People are trapped in overcrowded and unsafe accommodation, sleeping on couches, in vehicles or makeshift camps.
"The cost of not acting, to our health and community services and the justice system, is so much higher than investing in the solutions that we know work – building social homes and investing in frontline services.
"The Victorian government must commit to building 6,000 homes a year for the next decade to turn the housing and homelessness crisis around. Their upcoming plan for Victoria must include sustained social housing growth."
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 March, there were 58,459 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
