Housing crisis laid bare: 200,000 homes needed to save families from the streets

The state’s devastating housing and homelessness crisis will require 5000 new social homes to be built every year for the next 10 years.

Another 200,000 homes must be built in NSW by 2050 as the crippling housing shortage and rising cost of living pushes working people and families to the streets.

Peak body Homelessness NSW will on Wednesday make a compelling case to senior government ministers, the opposition, and wealthy developers to urgently double the percentage of social housing homes from 4.7 per cent to 10 per cent of the housing stock.

They are also pushing for the government to install a Homelessness Commissioner as charities reported struggling to meet a more than 30 per cent increase in calls for help.

The plea comes after The Daily Telegraph lifted the lid on the new face of homelessness where people with jobs and savings are still turning to living in tents and cars because they cannot find a home to rent.

Long relegated to the “too hard basket” — homelessness is set to be a key election agenda in March next year.

Ronny Ng has been on the same bench on Pitt St in Sydney since 1997. Picture: John Grainger

Homelessness NSW chief executive Trina Jones said an additional $1.8bn in yearly funding is required to tackle the decades-long social housing waiting list and to support the more than 70,000 homeless people accessing support. There are currently 50,000 people on the public housing waiting list.   

“Homelessness should not be accepted as a fact of life by political leaders or citizens in a state as prosperous and as caring as NSW,” Ms Jones said.

“We can’t solve homelessness without more housing, it’s as simple as that.”

The organisation is calling on the state government to work with the Commonwealth to urgently build 5000 new social housing properties every year for the next decade.

“The lack of supply is getting worse as more people are being forced to live in tents, cars and vans because they can’t afford rent. I have visited and spoken to entire families who are living in tents without any option of a roof over their head,” Ms Jones said. 

“At the current rate of social housing investment in NSW, we estimate it could take 70 years to house everyone on the waiting list.”

200,000 new social homes are needed by 2050. Picture: John Grainger

5000 homes need to be built a year for the next decade. Picture: John Grainger

Labor housing spokeswoman Rose Jackson said the report would help form the opposition’s housing policies heading into the election.

“It’s obvious to me when we look at the social housing waiting list, when we hear the stories of people living in tents and cars, we need to do something urgent to address it,” she said.

 “I think (Homelessness NSW) have correctly identified the major issues and we’ll absolutely be looking to reflect those areas with our policy.”

Labor housing spokeswoman Rose Jackson.

Communities Minister Natasha Maclaren-Jones will not be attending the event, instead sending two representatives.

“I welcome Homelessness NSW’s contribution to the discussion around this important issue and I look forward to considering their research and recommendations,” she said.

Mum-of-four Rachel Trabilsie, 49, experienced homelessness after leaving an abusive relationship. 

“I tried to find a safe place so I had to try and work out living with him and no one understood the situation. He had severe mental health problems and I became his carer and was thrown around the system and placed in motels,” she said.

Rachel has experienced intermittent homelessness since she was 17. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Ms Trabilsie was given temporary accommodation during Covid before being provided with a social housing property.

“For me, with post traumatic stress disorder, I don't know what a home is. I’m just fearful anyone can take that way.”

STATE’S SUGAR HIT FOR NEW SOCIALHOUSING

The state’s dire shortage of social housing will get a multimillion-dollar sugar hit as the NSW Government eyes rapidly building 120 new homes to address the ever-growing waiting list of tenants.

The government will tip $37 million into the construction of the new homes, which will take the amount of social homes currently being built in NSW to 270.

With homelessness and cost of living a key election issue ahead of next year’s vote, the spotlight is now on the Premier’s priority to halve street homelessness by 2025.

Minister for Families and Communities Natasha Maclaren-Jones said the funding injection was a key part of the government’s Together Home program, which aims to get homeless people access to accommodation and support services preventing them from becoming homeless again.

“It enables access to stable accommodation and wraparound services to improve health, wellbeing and independence by provi`ding the tools vulnerable residents need to rebuild their lives,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.

Minister for Families and Communities Natasha Maclaren-Jones. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

It comes as Infrastructure Minister Rob Stokes revealed a swath of new NSW Government land would be opened up to build 300 new affordable homes for key workers, as part of a new pilot program by the government.

The Affordable Housing scheme will allow new homes to be built on surplus land in the Bayside, Blacktown, Inner West and Cumberland local government areas, on NSW-Government owned land around rail precincts.

Mr Stokes said new housing would be designated for key workers in a bid to ensure they could live close to key public transport.

“From carers to cleaners to cafe workers, the people who keep our city functioning should not have to travel more than an hour to get to and from work,” Mr Stokes said.

“This new innovative model will empower stakeholders such as community housing providers to do their work without the barrier of having to raise large amounts of capital for the purchase of land.”