The number of people waiting for social housing in the Hunter has increased to 3852, a 6.1 per cent increase on the previous year.
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It is estimated there are an average 2.1 people associated with every application.
Waiting list figures compiled by St Vincent de Paul Society show Newcastle had 1277 applications, followed by Maitland (764), Lake Macquarie (575) Lake Macquarie east (371), Cessnock (280), Port Stephens (165), Raymond Terrace (145), Muswellbrook (136), Singleton (103), Dungog (20), Tea Gardens (16).
The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW has called on the state government to urgently increase social housing stocks in across the region.
The latest government figures show 46,000 general social housing applicants in NSW and a further 5300 listed as priority up to the end of June 2020.
"Each applicant represents a household, meaning the number of people, including children, who are without a place to call home remains well over 100,000 across the state," Sister Carmel Hanson, St Vincent de Paul Society Maitland/Newcastle Social Justice Representative said.
"The social housing waitlist is remaining stagnant which leaves the most vulnerable in our community to sink deeper into poverty.
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She said some people were waiting up to 10 years for a home. "Everybody needs a safe, secure, and stable place to live. Without a home it is incredibly difficult for people to find or maintain work, keep up with studies or plan beyond one day at a time," Sister Hanson said.
The state government will invest almost $900 million as part the 2020-21 budget, taking its investment in social and affordable housing to $4.4 billion over four years.
The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW has called on the state government to build an additional 5000 new social housing properties each year for the next decade.
"Every day, we are seeing people in need of assistance with basics like food, clothing, and bills," Sister Hanson said.
"With the cuts to JobSeeker and JobKeeper, we're set to see even more people turning to charities to get by.
"We hope to see more action taken by the government to reduce the waitlist this year, along with a similar commitment from the federal government to ensure people are protected when they fall on hard times."
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Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
