The latest government figures show the social housing waitlist on the Mid North Coast has grown and there are more than 2,100 applicants.
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The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW is calling on the State Government to take action for the thousands of people that leaves in need of a home.
There are currently 35 applicants awaiting houses in Macksville and over 100 in Nambucca Heads, with those numbers expected to rise as the rental crisis deepens. Expected wait times for houses in the Nambucca Valley currently average around five to 10 years.
The latest government figures show 46,000 general social housing applicants in NSW with 5,300 listed as priority up to the end of June 2020.
Each applicant represents a household, meaning the number of people, including children, who are without a place to call home could be well over 100,000 across the state.
"The number of applicants on the Mid North Coast has remained largely static compared to 12 months earlier, rising slightly from 2,165 to 2,169.
"There is a critical need for the NSW Government to take action to ensure these thousands of families have a home," St Vincent de Paul Society's Gabi Curwood said.
"Some people are having to wait up to ten years for a home and in the meantime they are forced into insecure living conditions due to the lack of housing.
"Everybody needs a safe, stable and affordable place to live. Without a home it is incredibly difficult for people to find or maintain work, keep up with studies or plan beyond one day at a time."
The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW has called on the State Government to build an additional 5,000 new social housing properties each year for the next decade to address the current social housing waitlist.
"It was disappointing to see the funding for social housing in last year's state budget fall short of what's needed, given the increasing size of the NSW waitlist," Ms Curwood said.
"We are seeing an increasing number of people turning to charities, like Vinnies, for assistance with basics such as food, clothing, and bills. With JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments set to be wound back further in the coming months, people are unsure how they will get by.
"The NSW Government needs to take more action this year to reduce the waitlist, while the Federal Government also needs to come to the table to ensure people are protected in their times of need."
