GROWING SOCIAL HOUSING

Victoria is in a housing crisis.

At the last Census there were more than 30,000 Victorians without a home. Victoria also has more people than any other Australian state or territory living in housing stress – that is, on a low income and paying more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.

Social housing (incorporating both public and community housing) is an essential component of our housing system. It ensures that where the private market fails – through discrimination, high rents and low incomes, or other shortcomings – Victorians can still secure a roof over their head.

However there’s not enough social housing for everyone who needs it.

Despite Victoria’s landmark four-year Big Housing Build, decades of under-investment in social housing by previous governments has left our state with the lowest proportion of social housing in Australia.

In Victoria, the current proportion of social housing is 3.1%. After the Big Housing Build, it will be about 3.5% – still well under the national average of 4.5% (which itself isn’t enough to meet demand).

Currently, the state has housing targets for the private market, but no targets for social housing. Without this, we are missing a crucial policy lever, market signal and investment driver.

New data – derived from research into social housing growth targets commissioned by the Victorian Housing Peaks Alliance from SGS Economics & Planning – shows that we need to build 7,990 new social homes a year for the next 10 years to catch up to the national average.

This will put us on a pathway towards meeting future demand, which will be 377,000 by 2051.

Social housing is essential infrastructure. Unless we grow social housing to meet total demand, we’ll continue to have a housing crisis.

Growing social housing is a key to:

• Ending homelessness
• Providing safe exits from family violence
• Supporting First Nations housing justice
• Driving down housing stress

That’s why the Victorian Government should set a target – and establish a strategy – to build 80,000 new social housing homes in the next decade.

You can read the report derived from SGS’s research and data analysis here.

You can also read our media release and statements from the leaders of the Victorian Housing Peaks Alliance here.

We encourage VCOSS members and others to get behind this call for Victoria to grow social housing.

We’ve prepared social media stories and example posts that you can use or adapt for your social media. Download Word and PDF versions.

It’s also a great idea to let your local member know that you support this essential work.

Don’t forget to tag VCOSS and use the hashtag #growingsocialhousing.

Contact our Housing Policy Adviser, Ella Longhurst, at ella.longhurst@vcoss.org.au if you have any questions.