Social housing

Social housing is owned and run by the government, housing agencies or not-for-profit organisations.

It is made up of 2 types of housing – Public housing and Community housing – and is for people on low incomes who are most in need. This includes people who have :

  • Recently experienced homelessness
  • Recently experienced family violence
  • Other special needs.

The Victorian Housing Register

The Victorian Housing Register is the way applications for social housing are managed in Victoria. It brings together all the public and community housing requests for housing so that people only need to apply once.

The register consists of 2 categories:

  • Priority list
  • Register of interest.

How to apply

To get on the register, see Victorian Housing Register online applications for organisations on the Funded Agency Channel website.

Policies, guidelines, updates and training resources are also available on the Funded Agency Channel website.

National Affordable Housing Agreement

The National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) provides the framework for all levels of government to work together to improve housing affordability for low and moderate income households. The NAHA replaces the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement.

The NAHA aims to ensure all Australians have access to affordable, safe and sustainable housing that contributes to social and economic participation.

Through the NAHA, the Commonwealth and the States/Territories have committed to a range of reforms that will improve housing affordability to ensure:

  • People who are homeless or at risk of homelessness achieve sustainable housing and social inclusion
  • People are able to rent housing that meets their needs
  • People can purchase affordable housing
  • People have access to housing through an efficient and responsive housing market
  • Indigenous people have improved housing amenity and reduced overcrowding, particularly in remote areas and discrete communities

The NAHA came into effect from 1 January 2009.