ACTCOSS has produced a snapshot presenting data on housing affordability and homelessness in the ACT. This is the second in a series of ACTCOSS snapshots and factsheets that will harness data to provide accessible insights into key social policy issues in the ACT.
This snapshot brings together a range of important data and information for the first time to show the true dimensions of housing stress and homelessness in the city of Canberra.
The numbers show that:

• Out of 1,280 rental properties only 38 were suitable to households living on income support payments and only 80 were suitable for households living on the minimum wage
• 7,000 households in the ACT are experiencing housing stress
• On average, applicants for standard public housing in the ACT are waiting 2.7 years for a property
• More people are rough sleeping in the ACT
• Housing stress and homelessness are disproportionately impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people experiencing domestic and family violence and people with mental illness.

Snapshot: Housing affordability and homelessness in the ACT (306.8 KB)
Snapshot: Housing affordability and homelessness in the ACT (162.22 KB)