Housing and homelessness

Access to safe, appropriate and affordable housing is essential to women and girls’ wellbeing and for ensuring equality across our community.

The impacts of violence, economic inequality and caring responsibilities impose barriers on the housing options available for women and girls. Older women are one of the fastest growing cohorts experiencing homelessness in Australia. Households headed by single mothers face additional barriers in securing affordable housing. For women leaving prison, housing is critical for post-release support.

Access to good quality, affordable housing can help reduce poverty and enhance equality of opportunity, social inclusion, and mobility.

What is the ACT Government already doing in the housing and homelessness space?

The ACT Government is committed to ensuring that our community has access to safe, suitable, and affordable housing. Over recent years, significant investments have been made in this area, including programs to support women experiencing homelessness and housing stress.

Improving housing security and fairness for tenants In order to further improve housing security and fairness for tenants, the ACT Government has introduced reforms to better meet the needs of victims of domestic and family violence, including issues of economic control and allow tenants to terminate a tenancy to move into social housing or aged care.	Common Ground in Dickson The ACT Government has delivered 40 homes to provide long‑term, supportive housing for individuals and families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness and includes affordable housing for Canberrans on low incomes.
Public housing program The ACT Government provided funding of $29.8 million over 3 years to expand the Growing and Renewing Public Housing program by a further 140 public housing dwellings, delivering on the government’s commitment of 400 additional public housing dwellings.	Justice housing program Implementing a Justice Housing Program to support availability of housing options for eligible detainees on release, including through a model for sentence management prior to release.
Addressing housing affordability The ACT Government is exploring ways to address housing affordability in the ACT for low-to-medium income households.	Safer families assistance Provides up to $2,000 to people affected by domestic and family violence to assist with costs associated with maintaining or establishing a home in the ACT.
Vulnerable Household Energy Support Scheme The Vulnerable Household Energy Support Scheme is a 5 year, $50 million program to improve building efficiency and sustainability for social and public housing, low-income owner-occupiers and the lowest performing rental properties. This includes upgrades to government housing and financial incentives to improve standards in rental properties.