‘Crushing demand’ for social housing as Victoria’s waiting list surges

More than 55,000 Victorian families are trying to get into social housing after cost of living pressures drove an 8.4 per cent increase in the waiting list in 2024.

Housing Minister Harriet Shing said there was record demand for social housing across the country, with New South Wales and Queensland also recording increases in their registers.

Victoria’s ageing social housing towers are in poor condition and at the centre of a political brawl.Credit: Paul Jeffers

New waiting list data released by the government shows that there were 55,024 applications sitting on the Victorian housing register in December 2024, up from 50,732 for the same time in 2023.

It is the third consecutive quarterly increase, and 1470 applications were added to the total since the last reported period in September.

“Right across the country people are doing it tough with record demand for social housing, and we’re working to get Victorians into social homes as quickly as we can,” Shing said.

“In the last year, we placed a record number of Victorians on the housing register into social homes – more than 7600 households right across the state.

“We know there is more to do – that’s why we’re investing more than any other state into building social and affordable homes so more Victorians can have a safe and secure place to live.”

By comparison, the Queensland government reported an 11 per cent increase in its social housing waiting list throughout 2024.

In NSW, the number of applications rose by 10 per cent. NSW has the largest waiting list, with 64,948 applications, but also has the nation’s biggest population.

The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows Victoria had the lowest proportion of social housing stock in the country, at 2.8 per cent of all homes in 2023. That was well below the national average of 4.1 per cent.

Community Housing Industry Association Victoria chief executive Sarah Toohey said the state needed to add at least 2000 social housing units every year just to make sure it didn’t slip further behind.

“To build our way out of this we need to make sure that every development includes social housing,” she said.

“The crushing demand is not going away. Many people are just one or two pay cheques away from needing social housing.

“The cost of living crisis has just increased the desperate need for a very clear and ongoing social housing delivery plan.”

The Allan government said it had invested $1.38 billion into social and affordable homes through capital expenditure over the 2023-24 financial year.

The state government has been criticised for its approach to redeveloping public housing towers across Melbourne because it is seeking to replace them with community housing properties maintained by not-for-profit organisations, rather than the state.

The state will continue to own the land these projects are built on, and tenants will pay below-market rent, but critics argue these homes should remain entirely in public hands.

The Victorian Public Tenants Association said most vulnerable people tend to live in public housing, as community providers have the flexibility to choose their tenants.