Too many Tasmanians can’t afford a home at all

Anglicare’s latest Housing Connect Front Door Snapshot shows that people on the lowest incomes are experiencing the most severe impacts of Tasmania’s housing crisis.

Data for the quarter to December 2025 shows that compared to the same time in the previous year, there was a 41% increase in the number of Tasmanians seeking housing support; a 64% increase in the number of people sleeping rough; and a 67% increase in the number of employed people seeking assistance. The number of applicants on the social housing register has risen by 11% to 5,410.

Coordinator of Anglicare’s Social Action and Research Centre Mary Bennett said while the statistics were shocking, they were a predictable consequence of vacancy rates in the private rental market remaining below 1%.

“Rents are being driven up faster than incomes. More than half of Tasmanian households don’t have the income needed to afford rent, making them at real risk of homelessness,” she said.

“The Housing Connect Front Door Service plays a really important role in connecting people to the support services they need, but what they need is affordable, secure, long-term housing”.

Ms Bennett pointed to comments made by Productivity Commissioner Angela Jackson earlier this year:

“… when people experiencing homelessness get stable housing, they tend to end up in hospital less often, make fewer trips to the emergency department, and in some cases, even avoid incarceration. It’s also easier to look for and hold down a mob when you have a stable place to call home.”

“All of our frontline experience and research shows that secure housing will deliver significant budget savings in the health and justice systems. This will benefit all Tasmanians,” she said.

The Housing Connect Front Door Snapshot recommends that the Tasmanian Government:

• works with providers to make more supported accommodation available to people who need additional support;
• funds delivery of more crisis accommodation, transitional housing and social homes that meet the needs of people living with mental health conditions or escaping domestic and family violence; and
• works with the Australian Government to scale up investment in long-term social housing.

Background:

The Housing Connect Front Door is the entry point for housing assistance in Tasmania. It is where people can get information about housing options and other supports. It can assist people to apply for social housing or to secure or maintain a private rental tenancy.

Anglicare delivers this service from its offices in Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie, as well as providing outreach at various community locations.

The Housing Connect Front Door does not make decisions about how social housing is allocated to people waiting for a home. Homes Tasmania manages the Housing Register in Tasmania.