Ten-year wait for housing

NEW figures have revealed 875 householders are waiting for social housing in Coffs Harbour, in what the NSW Council of Social Service has called a broken system.

LONG WAIT: New figures reveal 875 householders are waiting for social housing in Coffs Harbour.

NEW figures have revealed 875 householders are waiting for social housing in Coffs Harbour, in what the NSW Council of Social Service has called a broken system.

The statistics show 51 more applicants are on the waiting list compared to this time last year, with two or three-bedroom houses still the hardest to come by.

Anglicare North Coast's Estelle Graham said young people and the elderly were often the hardest hit.

"Single older women are an emerging group of homelessness across the region," Ms Graham said.

"Sometimes it's a result of family breakdowns which can be a result of domestic violence, in some cases they haven't got superannuation, or they may be struggling to find employment," she said.

Ms Graham said young people were also vulnerable due to high rental costs.

She said more needed to be done to develop innovative solutions.

"To build extra housing is a very expensive but I think in the long term that's what needs to be done," she said.

"The NSW Government has promised an affordable housing infrastructure fund and the sector is still waiting for an announcement to see what shape that takes."