Waithood: The experiences of applying for and waiting for social housing

Abstract

The approximately 175,000 households across the country on the social housing waiting list (waitees) are among the most vulnerable people in Australia, yet very little is known about their everyday lives and the challenges they face. Drawing on 75 in-depth interviews with waitees in NSW, Queensland and Tasmania, this report gives a voice to waitees. It maps why people decide to apply for social housing, the challenges they face applying, their living circumstances whilst waiting and importantly the impacts of waiting.

In addition, in Tasmania, 18 waitees who had been interviewed at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, were interviewed again approximately a year later; 7 of the 18 had accessed social housing in the intervening period. In Queensland, at the time of publication, 11 waitees had been interviewed again and 5 had managed to access social housing. In NSW, 13 waitees were interviewed a second time and 5 were in social housing. This gave us the opportunity to examine the
impacts of accessing social housing.