State budget must deliver on social housing

A multibillion dollar investment in social housing to build new homes and upgrade existing housing stock must be prioritised by the NSW Government in the upcoming State Budget.

The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW’s call for greater housing investment comes as data released by the Society’s housing and homelessness services revealed the average length of time to achieve a housing outcome increased by 177% over the past five years to 186 days.

“Our services are at capacity with people needing to stay for longer due to the lack of available and affordable housing options,” said Yolanda Saiz, CEO, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW.

“This is having flow on implications with our services unable to meet the growing demand for assistance. The number of unassisted requests from our homelessness and housing services has grown to nearly 2,900, increasing by 180% from three years ago.

“The NSW Government has the opportunity to make a transformational investment in housing and we hope that they will seize the opportunity given the current circumstances.

The Society’s homelessness and housing services have supported more than 7,300 people this financial year with domestic and family violence (30%), housing eviction (16%) and housing stress (10%) as the most commonly cited reasons for assistance.

In addition to greater investment in housing, the Society is calling on the NSW Government to increase funding for Specialist Homelessness Services by 20% to meet existing and growing demand.

More than 57,000 applicants – the equivalent of 125,000 people – are on the waiting list for social housing currently in NSW, while close to half of the people trying to access Specialist Homelessness Services in NSW were unable to access accommodation in the past year according to the latest Productivity Commission report.

Research published jointly by the Society and The McKell Institute earlier this year identified social housing comprised just 3.8% of all housing nationally and 4.5% in NSW.

Figures released from the 2024 NSW Statewide Street Count show rough sleeping has increased by 26% over the past year with significant surges in coastal areas and regional cities such as Wollongong and Newcastle.

“Our members working across the state are seeing people in need of assistance every day and the current housing crisis is a universal factor for every one of them,” said John Adams, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW Acting State President.

“There is tremendous need for housing in all parts of the state. Housing is the foundation for people to be able to lead flourishing lives, take care of their health, maintain employment and live beyond one day at a time.

“We cannot afford to wait any longer to ensure that everyone has a safe and secure place to call home,” said Mr Adams.

See the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW’s 2024/25 Pre Budget Submission at: www.vinnies.org.au/NSWPBS2024.