Australia would have to exert thrice the effort to establish enough social housing over the next 20 years.

In order to fulfil its promise to give everyone a roof over their heads, Australia would have to exert thrice the effort to establish enough social housing over the next 20 years.

A new Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) report said the country needs 727,000 new social housing properties over the next two decades to meet the shortage. A third of the houses needed would have to be erected in key places like Sydney, Queensland, and Victoria.

In a statement, Everybody’s Home campaign spokesperson Kate Colvin said the required effort by the current government to help low-income earners get a home shows how the problem has been neglected since 1996.

"In a country as wealthy as Australia it is outrageous that we have a shortage of 433,000 social housing properties. This shortage is pushing homelessness to crisis levels and means 1.4 million Australians are living in chronic housing stress and need relief," she said.

This goes to show how important housing is amongst Aussies, given that housing is a primary consideration in household budgets.

Now that Australia has ascertained the number of homes needed, Colvin said it has to now think of effective ways to establish a national strategy in order to meet the target.

“We need to assist those struggling to find a home they can afford to rent as well, and like any other infrastructure that has been neglected for decades, it will take significant investment and commitment from all levels of government and all sides of politics to make it happen,” Colvin said.

Collections: