Briefs

On Youth Homelessness Matters Day 2023, this AHURI Brief explores what our housing crisis is costing Australia’s young people—the second brief in our series. In an environment of low rental vacancies and high rents, we find that more than ever before family support—or its absence—has become a major determinant of housing outcomes for young people.

The ABS 2021 Census homelessness data was released in March 2023. The data has shown a number of changes in patterns of homelessness since 2016, however, as the Census was taken during a time of COVID restrictions, these patterns are not necessarily indicative of ongoing trends.

As Australia is gripped by a worsening housing and rental crisis, discussion has centred on the urgent need for more social and affordable housing. While they are terms often used together, (and could be easily mistaken as interchangeable), ‘social housing’ and ‘affordable housing’ are two different things. This AHURI brief explores: Just what is social housing, what is affordable housing, and why are they both so important for our market-based housing system? 

Poor energy ratings for homes have far-reaching effects, not just for environmental emissions, but also for the health and financial wellbeing of the people who live in them. This AHURI brief draws on our research to highlight the current situation for Australia’s social housing stocks, home to some of Australia’s most vulnerable people.

Large data breaches recently in Australia have been caused by cyber hacking of data, but the legal collection and use of data, particularly rental data, from people is of concern too. Not only can tenants' personal data be hacked and/or leaked, it can also be used to manipulate them, or even to discriminate against them.