More than 105,000 Victorians sought homelessness assistance in 2024-25, with services unable to provide long-term accommodation to 95 per cent of people who desperately needed it.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's specialist homelessness services annual report reveals Victoria accounts for 36% of all homelessness presentations nationally, despite having just a quarter of Australia's population.
Council to Homeless Persons CEO Deborah Di Natale said the data exposed a devastating correlation, with Victoria ranking last in Australia for social housing.
"Victoria has the worst social housing provision in the country and the highest rate of people seeking homelessness help. After decades of chronic underinvestment, this isn't a coincidence," Ms Di Natale said.
The report reveals alarming trends across the state:
* Rough sleeping surged nearly 10% to 10,673 people * Women now comprise nearly 60% of all presentations to homelessness services * Women 55-59 experienced a 14% spike in homelessness presentations, reflecting the housing affordability crisis hitting older women * Domestic violence remains the leading driver of homelessness, being the main reason 32,752 people sought assistance – a 6.3% year-on-year increase
"Family violence is driving more than 32,000 Victorians into homelessness – that's twice as many as any other factor," Ms Di Natale said.
"Women fleeing violence with their children are being told there's nowhere for them to go.
"The sheer number of children presenting to homelessness services - in many cases alone - is unacceptable. When women and children escaping family violence can't find safe accommodation, we're failing at the most basic level of social protection."
Despite 13,595 people seeking help being employed, the housing crisis means even working Victorians cannot secure stable accommodation.
"The Victorian Government must commit to implementing Infrastructure Victoria's recommendation to build 60,000 new social homes. This is essential infrastructure.
"It also saves the budget money on health, justice and emergency services while giving Victorians their human right of housing."
The data shows 95.6% of the 40,259 people who needed long-term housing were turned away.
While services could provide short-term accommodation to 22,102 people, another 9,766 missed out. For medium-term accommodation, 21,385 people – 75.7% of those needing it – couldn't be helped.
"While tens of thousands of people live without a home, Victoria continues to lag behind every other state and territory in social housing provision," Ms Di Natale said.
"Every day of delaying critical investment in social housing means more families losing their homes, more women unable to escape violence, and more people forced onto the streets."
