The public housing waiting list in Horsham and surrounding region has hit 300, including 81 priority cases.

The median rent in Horsham is now $255 per week.

The Victorian Department of Human Services considers $145 affordable for a single person on the Newstart Allowance.

A single parent with one child, on welfare, could afford $245, according to the department.

Even at the lower end of the market, the latest Human Services rental report found just 40 per cent of Horsham’s one-bedroom properties were affordable.

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said she was concerned that an increasing number of the region’s most vulnerable people are being forced onto public housing wait lists.

“The total number of Social Housing Applicants has grown in the Horsham district to a total of 300, with 81 listed as a priority,” Ms Kealy said.

“The latest figures show over a thousand more of our state’s ‘priority’ applicants – including those fleeing family violence, suffering from mental health issues or at risk of homelessness – are waiting for a home,” she said.

Ms Kealy accused the state government of allowing the public housing waiting list to grow after the Labor party took power.

“Public housing waiting list numbers blew out when Labor were last in government and we are seeing this happen again,” Ms Kealy said.

“The reality of these figures is that there are 81 applications, either individuals or families in the Horsham area, who are fleeing family violence, suffering from mental health issues or at risk of homelessness.

“The public housing wait list reduced by more than 5,000 under the previous Liberal-Nationals Government.”

The Mail-Times has requested data from the Department of Human Services, which manages public housing, to track the waiting list in previous years. 

Wimmera Uniting Care client engagement and Child First manager Josh Koenig, whose department includes the entry point for housing services, said there hadn’t been a spike in emergency cases.

“We have seen a steady trend of people coming in for emergency housing services,” he said.

“We have federal government funding that allows us to see more people for rent in advance or when they are behind in their rent.

“Due to early intervention, we are able to see people before they experience outright homelessness.”

Mr Koenig said there had been an increase in early intervention clients but that wasn’t a clear indicator of increased housing stress. 

“Because we service such a large geographic area, it can be a mixed bag,” he said.

“We have seen more people come in for early intervention.

“If we didn’t have the federal funding, in conjunction with the Christian Emergency Food Centre, we would see more people coming in for the crisis stage.”

Wimmera Uniting Care has seen a more sustained increase in alcohol and drug counsilleing referals.

“Some of those cases could be linked to housing stress,” Mr Koenig said.

“There have been a lot of dual referrals for housing and alcohol or other drugs.”

Mr Koenig said the Department of Human Services’ definition of an affordabile rental property didn’t match a lot of the people that contacted Wimmera Uniting Care for housing services.

“$145 for housing per week would seem like a stretch. I would suggest that the affordability issue is more serious than the official numbers indicate,” he said.

Mr Koenig said one of the biggest challenges in housing services was finding a place for people aged under 18.

“We have been doing the best we can with the services we can provide, but we are struggling with housing clients that are under 18,” he said.

“It can be difficult to get a person aged under 18 to the point where they can signs a lease, and there is difficulty with unemployment in that age group.”