SOCIAL HOUSING IN NEW SOUTH WALES – A Contemporary Analysis

Abstract

The Centre for Social Impact UNSW (CSI UNSW) partnered with the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW to examine the commitments of the New South Wales Government since 2016 to develop new, additional social housing dwellings.

It is estimated that since 2016, the NSW Government has committed to build 9,386 new social housing properties by 2026.

This research found that the additional social housing dwellings announced by the NSW Government since 2016 are insufficient to address the current high numbers of people waiting to access social housing.
The research also examined the financial commitments made by the NSW Government in relation to social housing, including their spending on social housing per capita and the number of social housing homes as a proportion of total housing.

It found that both total expenditure on social housing per capita and social housing as a proportion of total housing stock is in decline in NSW.

The St Vincent de Paul Society will use this report, Social Housing in New South Wales – Contemporary Analysis, and future reports to advocate with the NSW Government to commit more targeted investment towards social housing with the aim of reducing the number of applicants on the NSW social housing waiting list.