The dream of affordable housing in Melbourne’s outer suburbs is slipping further out of reach for many low-income residents, according to grim new figures released by Anglicare Victoria.
The 2025 Rental Affordability Snapshot (RAS), part of a national survey assessing rental affordability for minimum wage earners and those on government support, has revealed a dramatic five-year decline in access to affordable homes in the Hume and Whittlesea regions.
“In Hume in 2021 nearly 57 per cent of properties were available to those earning minimum wage, in 2025 it’s 36.6 per cent,” Anglicare Victoria North Metro regional director Amanda Stacey said.
In Whittlesea, the fall has been even steeper– from almost 70 per cent in 2021 to 46.1 per cent now.
“It’s important to look at the number of real properties next to the percentage too. While two properties were affordable for those on income support in Whittlesea in 2025, those two properties exist in competition with other listed properties, unaffordable for those on income support. Families and individuals on income support are, while not totally priced out, it’s incredibly tight. The competition is high for a very scarce resource,” Ms Stacey said.
For many in Melbourne’s north, the crisis isn’t looming– it’s already here.
Anglicare is urging both state and federal governments to invest further in social and affordable housing– particularly in growth corridors like Whittlesea and Hume– and to locate these near essential services and public transport.
The organisation is calling for an increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance, which has failed to keep pace with rapidly rising rents.
“The Albanese Government lifted the maximum rate of Rent Assistance by 27 per cent, over and above inflation, in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 budgets, and should be commended for that, but the rents paid by Australians who receive Rent Assistance have risen almost 1.5 times faster than the maximum rate of the payment since 2017,” Ms Stacey said.
“People just aren’t able to keep their head above water when it comes to paying rent alongside all the other costs of living, like food, medication, and transport. It’s tough out there.”
