Homelessness driven by housing stress, new report reveals

Everybody’s Home has urged the federal government to prioritise ending Australia’s growing social housing shortfall, following a new report that revealed housing stress is now the fastest-growing factor contributing to homelessness.

The 2023–24 Australian Homelessness Monitor showed a 36 per cent rise in new service users citing housing affordability as their primary reason for seeking help from homelessness services in the past three years.

The research, conducted by UNSW in partnership with Homelessness Australia, also highlighted that homelessness is now affecting a broader demographic, with an increasing number of workers seeking crisis support.

Everybody’s Home’s spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “Australia’s worsening housing crisis is fueling the rise in homelessness.

“People simply cannot afford insanely high rents week after week – it’s pushing many into housing stress, leading them to sleep in cars or improvised dwellings, and on couches or the streets.”

Azize emphasised the disproportionate impact on low-income earners, particularly those relying on Centrelink payments, but said that the situation is now affecting more employed individuals as well.

“The housing crisis is driving a new wave of people seeking crisis support for the first time and is trapping many Australians in homelessness for longer periods,” Azize said.

The report stressed the urgency of addressing the shortage of social housing, with Australia needing an additional 640,000 social homes immediately.

This shortfall is projected to rise to nearly 1 million homes over the next 20 years.

While acknowledging some government investments in social housing, Azize said these efforts are insufficient to meet current demand.

“We urgently need the federal government to make a stronger commitment to end the social housing shortfall,” she said.

“It must also scrap unfair tax handouts for property investors, raise the rate of Centrelink payments, and protect renters by limiting rent increases.”

Azize concluded with a call for action, saying: “Everybody deserves a safe, decent, affordable place to live and the government can and must make that happen.”

[RELATED: Victoria becomes state with highest arrears]

Adrian Suljanovic is a journalist at Broker Daily with more than two years experience reporting on all facets of the third party distribution channel.

Adrian has written for a range of business and finance titles including IFA, Investor Daily and Lawyer’s Weekly before joining the mortgages team in 2022.

He graduated from the University of Wollongong in 2021 gaining a Bachelor of Communication & Media with a major in Digital & Social Media.

E-mail Adrian at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.