The number of Tasmanians living in social housing increased by 12 per cent in a year, a report has found.
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Released today, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Housing Assistance Report showed there were 27,950 Tasmanians living in social housing in 2018-19 compared to 24,966 in 2017-18.
Across the three main social housing programs, 408 dwellings were found to be overcrowded, including 3.3 per cent of community housing and 3.5 per cent of public housing.
Shelter Tasmania chief executive Pattie Chugg said in the shadow of the COVID-19, the need for affordable housing in Tasmania had never been more urgent.
"This latest report from AIHW shows that in 2018-19, 13,595 Tasmanian households were living in social housing," she said.
"However, Tasmania's social housing is still not housing as many people as in 2014-15, and our population has increased since then."
The report also found 2032 dwellings were underutilised in Tasmania in 2018-19, including 15.9 per cent of public housing and 17.3 per cent of community housing.
Ms Chugg said said underutilisation could happen for a number of reasons.
"Sometimes, it is an older parent or couple whose children have left home," she said.
"As new social housing stock is built, it will respond to the need for more one and two bedroom units, rather than the older three and four bedrooms that were built years ago."
Ms Chugg said social housing continued to represent only a small proportion of Tasmania's housing stock at 6 per cent, compared the proportion of private rentals.
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