A peak housing research institute estimates more than 7000 people living in Launceston are living on the edge and are at risk of slipping into homelessness.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The suburbs where more than 500 people were estimated to be at risk included Invermay, Mowbray, Newnham, Mayfield, Ravenswood and South Launceston.
In George Town more than 600 people are at risk, in Deloraine 356 people are at risk, and in St Helens and Scamander 428 people are estimated to be living on the edge.
The report by AHURI finds that a person is at risk if they live in rental housing and are also experiencing low income, lack of social support and resources, and are vulnerable to discrimination.
report author said for Tasmanians, being unemployed or not in the labour force, and having a disability or a long term health condition was more likely in the at risk populations when compared to the other states and territories.
She said 82 per cent of the at risk population were in long term rental households, "which isn't surprising when considering disability or being unemployed".
"What the report shows is that there are a large number of people who are at risk of homelessness across Australia, and gives us insight into where and who those people are. This is important because of its implications for preventing homelessness," she said.
"We can get in contact and provide support ...to the people upstream who are not yet homeless but who are one crisis away from being so. This is where you target primary prevention, where you can support that population better so they are never going to turn up at a homeless service."
Housing minister Michael Ferguson said the government have build 1,177 long-term homes as part of its Affordable Housing Strategy.
He said it had invested $615 million into public and affordable housing.
"This includes 34 social housing dwellings built in the month of October, meaning that by working with the community housing partners and the building industry, we have built more than one house per day," he said.
"Our comprehensive plan to increase housing supply is the only way to make housing as affordable as possible."
Over the past month 143 households have Private Rental Assistance. In the last year 89 were helped through Private Rental Incentive Scheme, and 67 in the Streets Ahead programs.
