everyone deserves a decent place to live

Habitat for Humanity’s vision is to build a world where EVERYONE has a decent place to live.

 

Around the world, over 1.6 billion people are homeless or living in inadequate housing.

 

Closer to home in Australia, over 116,000 people are homeless every night.  There’s a severe lack of access to appropriate and affordable housing in Australia and particularly in Victoria, making it incredibly difficult for low income families to find decent, secure accommodation.

 

Victoria’s housing crisis snapshot [1]

• Melbourne is the 4th least affordable major housing market in the world

• The median price for a dwelling in Greater Melbourne has risen to $665,000

• It will take a medium income family 9.6 years to save a 20% deposit to buy a home

• Only 0.9% of private rental properties in Greater Melbourne are affordable for households receiving income support payments (from Centrelink)

• Over 48,000 Victorian households want housing – and 25,800 households require urgent assistance

• Women over 55 years are the fastest growing group experiencing homelessness  

• Victoria has the lowest proportion of social housing in Australia at 3% of all dwellings. The National average is 4.2%; and even this is low by international standards

• There is a chronic shortage of affordable private housing properties. Few are dedicated to helping residents out of social housing and into their own home.   

 

At Habitat for Humanity we recognise without access to appropriate and affordable housing people risk being trapped in poverty and lack a proper foundation to build a better life. Life becomes more about a struggle to survive. With access to an affordable place to call home we know people and families find opportunities for improved outcomes in education, employment, health and lifestyle. Families are able to put down roots in communities, start to grow and move beyond the struggle to survive and begin to flourish and thrive. They even find a little more happiness; something we all seek as part of a full and meaningful life.

 

We believe in the empowerment generated by home ownership. With your support we can break the cycle of poverty and build brighter futures, stronger foundations, healthier children and more resilient families. Together we can help families build a better life for themselves, their children and future generations.

 

 

[1] Statistics sourced from

Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation  - Greater Melbourne 2020 Vital Signs Report

Homes Victoria  - Sector Consultation Paper (February 2021)