Victoria needs a social housing target and a long-term plan

We the undersigned are asking all parties and candidates to commit to two critical actions:

Setting a social housing target, and
Delivering a long-term social housing and homelessness strategy.

Almost 69,000 households are on the waiting list for suitable and appropriate social housing. Yet Victoria has the lowest proportion of social housing in the country, at just 3 per cent of all housing - getting a secure home for those waiting will take years.

And the waiting list tells only part of the story.

At the last Census, more than 146,000 Victorian households were experiencing significant housing need, either paying more rent than they could afford, living in severely overcrowded situations, or sleeping in cars or on the street.

The consequences of our housing shortage are dire and extend well beyond housing - both for individuals struggling to find a safe place to call home and the broader community. Without a safe, secure and affordable home, people face greater barriers to build a better life including caring for their loved ones, participating in work or study, maintaining their health and wellbeing, and contributing to their communities. Housing insecurity and homelessness also place greater pressure on Victoria's social, health and emergency services.

Research released in 2022 estimated that this shortage of affordable housing was costing Victoria an additional $141.2 million each year. Without action, this is projected to rise to $263.7 million per year by 2036.

Victoria can change this trajectory.

Building 80,000 social housing homes over the next decade will lift Victoria towards the national average of 4.5 per cent social housing stock, putting us on a pathway to meeting the future housing needs of all Victorians.

But increasing supply must be accompanied by a coordinated, long-term approach to housing insecurity and homelessness.

Our asks

In the lead up to the 2026 Victorian election, our organisations are united in calling all parties and candidates to commit to:

1. Set a social housing target

Set a transparent statewide social housing growth target of at least 8000 net new social housing homes per year for the next 10 years.

2. Develop a social housing and homelessness strategy

Adopt a long-term, whole-of-government social housing and homelessness strategy that:

Provides funding certainty
Clarifies responsibilities across government and housing and homelessness services
Reduces stigma
Includes transparent monitoring and reporting mechanisms

We urge all parties and candidates to support these commitments and help build a Victoria where everyone has access to a safe, secure and affordable home.

Yours sincerely,

The undersigned

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About the Victorian Housing Peaks Alliance

The Victorian Housing Peaks Alliance is a group of peak and leading bodies that collectively represent people seeking a home, housing providers, renters, tenants’ rights groups and housing support bodies. Members are independent organisations that come together on issues of shared interest and significance. The Alliance comprises:

Aboriginal Housing Victoria
Community Housing Industry Association Victoria
Council to Homeless Persons
Housing For the Aged Action Group
Justice Connect
Safe + Equal
Tenants Victoria
Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS)
Victorian Public Tenants Association

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