Social housing demand jumps 500pc in city where baby died in riverside camp

Around a dozen tents had been set up at a camp on the Murrumbidgee River. (ABC News) A Homelessness NSW report shows the number of priority applicants for social housing in Wagga Wagga increased by 500 per cent in the four years to June 2025. The NSW government has set up a cross-agency working group to urgently address the growing problem of homelessness in the city. The NSW Minister for Homelessness, Rose Jackson, is expected to visit Wagga Wagga in the coming weeks. Link copiedShareShare articleA week after a newborn baby died in a riverside camp in Wagga Wagga, a new report has revealed the southern New South Wales city has the state's fastest-growing waitlist for social housing. The report, by advocacy group Homeless NSW, shows that the number of households on a priority list for social housing more than doubled across the state in the four years to June 2025, with Wagga recording a 500 per cent increase. Chief executive Dom Rowe said the damning figures coincided with a 48 per cent increase in apartment rents across NSW. "That's leading to some problematic situations for people looking for shelter, and we can see that in the increase in the priority waitlist," she said. Dom Rowe says the sharp increase in demand for social housing coincides with the rising rental price for apartments. (ABC News: Simon Amery) The report shows waitlists growing in both metropolitan and regional areas. In western Sydney, Camden saw a 494 per cent increase in demand over four years, and there was a 405 per cent jump in Bankstown. In the regions, Griffith in the state's south-west saw a 450 per cent increase, while in the north, there was a 330 per cent increase in Tamworth. Wagga became the centre of a national outcry last week after a baby died during birth at a camp where people are living on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. Some residents living in the camp told the ABC that while temporary accommodation was available, it was not suitable for them. Following a meeting led by NSW Premier Chris Minns on Friday, a cross-agency group made up of representatives from Homes NSW, NSW Police and the Wagga Wagga City Council was set up to prioritise getting rough sleepers into more permanent forms of housing. "I'm assured that the resources are there, and those options around accommodation are there," independent Wagga Wagga MP Joe McGirr said. "I specifically sought assurances in that regard." Joe McGirr says he has been assured people will be offerred appropriate accommodation. (ABC News: Lauren Pezet) Dr McGirr was unable to explain the kind of accommodation that would be made available, but when pushed about what would be different from what those people had previously been offered, said it was "about being more assertive in the outreach". "Sometimes people are anxious about the options," he said. "They're worried about cost, for example, and the long-term situation. Ms Rowe said technology such as modular construction meant appropriate housing could be built "in a matter of days". "It's created in a factory and can be put up very quickly on site," she said. "The houses are very, very amenable. They look very good, and they are very safe for people." Residents have moved in to the largest modular social housing development in New South Wales. In terms of land, she said there were two options readily available that already had access to services such as running water. "One of those is government land," Ms Rowe said. "That's all around New South Wales and often is very well located to amenities. Wagga's mayor, Dallas Tout, said he had been speaking to other mayors around the state about how they were dealing with similar issues. Cr Tout said he hoped Wagga could set an example. "I would imagine as this stands up and this works through, they will also be looking at other areas as well," he said. "It's something you could, template is probably an inappropriate word, but it's something you could take with this approach." The NSW Minister for Homelessness, Rose Jackson, is expected to visit Wagga in the coming weeks and was contacted for comment. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)PromotionTop Stories'Got no friends left': Jewish teen bullied playing Minecraft, royal commission toldTopic:Royal Commissions

Social housing demand jumps 500pc in city where baby died in riverside camp

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