Housing investment welcomed. Homelessness prevention remains underfunded
Housing investment welcomed, but homelessness prevention remains underfunded, says St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria.
The Society says frontline effort alone cannot turn the tide. Homelessness and poverty are not inevitable – they are policy choices.
Today, St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria (the Society) has responded to the Victorian Government’s 2026-27 State Budget, describing it as an important, but incomplete response to housing insecurity and homelessness across Victoria.
The Budget includes an estimated $860 million investment into the Social Housing Growth Fund to support delivery of more than 7,000 new social housing homes over the next decade – a welcome investment, but one that falls short of the scale required to address Victoria’s social housing shortfall.
While this investment is a meaningful contribution in a constrained budget, it only represents around 20% of the homes Victoria needs each year based on Infrastructure Victoria identifying a need for 60,000 new social housing homes over the next 15 years. It is also a step down from the scale of investment we saw under the Big Housing Build. It slows the rate of progress rather than closing the gap.
The Budget also includes funding for emergency accommodation and outreach support for rough sleepers, supportive housing responses, food relief, tenancy sustainment support, and family violence accommodation and support programs.
Many of these Budget initiatives align well with what the Society already does: food relief, tenancy support, homelessness prevention, supportive housing, and family violence recovery. With services across Victoria, the Society is ready to work alongside government to turn this investment into real outcomes for people doing it tough.
However, the Society says investment in homelessness prevention and early intervention remains modest relative to growing demand and cost-of-living pressure.
The Society has seen an 85% increase in requests for emergency welfare assistance and says government policy settings will play a defining role in determining whether more Victorians are pushed into crisis – or prevented from reaching it.
Group CEO Charlie Spendlove said the Budget reflects partial progress against what Victorians need most.
“We see every day how close people are to crisis. Victoria’s housing challenge cannot be solved by supply alone. People need stable homes, but they also need the support systems and community connections that help them stay housed.
“We welcome the investment announced today, but the pressure on vulnerable households means prevention and early intervention cannot wait,” Ms Spendlove said.
Last financial year, the Society provided more than $18.3 million in direct assistance across Victoria, including more than 686,000 meals through Vinnies Soup Vans and over 90,000 home visits, responding to growing demand from households under housing and financial pressure.
The Society is one of Victoria’s largest community-based organisations, with more than 11,000 members and volunteers and 650 staff embedded in local communities across the state. Through VincentCare Victoria and VincentCare Community Housing, the Society provides a continuum of care – from advocacy and prevention through to safe, supported housing.
Together, these arms of the organisation ensure the Society’s policy voice is grounded in both lived experience and practical service delivery expertise.
While the Society’s specific proposals were not included in this Budget, it remains ready to partner with Government - sharing frontline insight, testing practical models and helping strengthen the prevention-focused solutions Victoria needs.
“The solutions are known. What’s needed now is long-term partnership between government and community to deliver more homes, stronger prevention and deeper community connection,” added Ms Spendlove.
About the Strategic Advocacy Plan 2026–2030
The Society's three advocacy priorities are:
- A long-term social and affordable housing strategy that provides certainty and integrates housing with support services.
- Sustained investment in prevention and early intervention, so services and communities can plan and respond before people reach crisis point.
- Formal recognition and funding of social capital - the community-based networks essential to long-term housing stability.
The Society is not standing on the sidelines. It is offering partnership: to test new ideas, share frontline insights, participate in pilots, and help refine what works. The plan will undergo an annual review to ensure priorities remain relevant, evidence-based and responsive.
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MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Libby Woolnough
P: 0421 004 044 | E: libby.woolnough@svdp-vic.org.au
ABOUT THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
The St Vincent de Paul Society and its wide network of members and volunteers provide practical frontline support, advocacy and friendship for the most vulnerable members of our community. Key services include home visitation; Vinnies Shops; youth programs; soup vans; assistance for asylum seekers and refugees; education and tutoring; and professional accommodation and health services through VincentCare. The St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria has more than 11,000+ members and volunteers, and more than 60,000 across Australia. Internationally, the Society operates in 149 countries and more than 950,000 members. To find out more visit www.vinnies.org.au/vic .