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The Albanese Government’s Homes for Australia plan recognises that ending homelessness depends on continuing to expand social housing, backing the homelessness services on the front line of the housing crisis, and strengthening cross-government efforts to reduce risk of homelessness according to Homelessness Australia.

CEO Kate Colvin said the plan acknowledged what frontline services had been telling government for years.

“The single biggest reason people are stuck in homelessness is that there aren’t enough low cost rental homes for them to move into,” Covlin said. “Homes for Australia gets that, and the government’s investment in the Housing Australia Future Fund, the Social Housing Accelerator, the NT Remote Housing Agreement, and the $1 billion Crisis and Transitional stream, the Safe Places program and the Veterans’ Acute Housing Program is starting to turn that around.

“Nearly 30,000 social and affordable homes and almost 2,000 crisis or transitional homes are now in planning, under construction, or already delivered. That is meaningful progress after decades of decline.”

Colvin said the plan recognised the need for cross government action to reduce risk of homelessness and strengthen responses.

“Domestic and family violence is the biggest driver of homelessness for women, children and young people coming to homelessness services alone. For too long, homelessness providers have been treated as a downstream service. This plan changes that. It backs providers to expand safe housing options to keep young people, women and children, and older women safe, and recognises the need to expand Housing First and early intervention responses.

“The $60 million youth housing investment is a direct response to providers and the Home Time campaign, and it will help more than 4,000 young Australians a year find a home through community housing. It shows what happens when government listens.”

The foundations laid by Homes for Australia opened the door to a greater level of ambition.

“With more, we can do more. The Plan recognises the need to maintain momentum on scaling up social housing, and investing in homelessness responses to deliver the support people need.

“We support a greater level of ambition on housing and homelessness that would genuinely change the nation and allow more Australians to make the most of their own lives and contribute to society.”

“That means continuing to build social housing at scale so it grows as a share of the housing system, not just holds its ground. It means embedding Housing First as the default response so people experiencing persistent homelessness are supported into a home, not cycled through crisis services. And it means investing in prevention, so people never reach the point of homelessness in the first place.

Media contact: Nick Lucchinelli 0422 229 032

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