Only one in five affordable homes reach those who truly need them
Just 19 per cent of affordable rentals actually go to low-income households eligible for social housing, a CEDA report found.
Affordable housing in Australia is not affordable for the people it was supposed to help. A report by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia found only 19 per cent of rentals marketed as affordable reach households that genuinely cannot afford market rent.
The figure was worse in Perth (10 per cent) and only marginally better in Sydney and Melbourne (18 per cent). The problem is twofold.
Rents are often set as a share of market rates rather than tied to household income, leaving low-income renters unable to pay. Broad eligibility rules also allow medium-income households to access affordable housing, crowding out those in the worst need.
The think tank estimates that if just one in ten households came off the social housing waitlist and into genuinely affordable homes, almost 19,000 families would have secure housing today without a single new dwelling built.
- 19 per cent
- Reach eligible households nationally
- 10 per cent
- Reach in Perth
- 19,000
- Families that could be housed
- CEDA
- Reporting organisation
Why it mattersAffordable housing is failing its core mission; fixing it could house 19,000 families immediately and ease pressure on social housing waitlists.
AustraliaDirectly affects Australian renters unable to afford rent and families on social housing waiting lists; reveals a policy gap in how federal and state governments define and deliver affordable homes.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
