There were just nine affordable rental listings for households on income support in Baw Baw Shire when Anglicare Gippsland took a snapshot of rental affordability this year.
Rental affordability figures released by Anglicare Victoria earlier this year showed renters were the real victims of Australia's housing crisis.
Statistics for Baw Baw Shire revealed there were nine affordable and appropriate rental listings for households on income support in 2025, compared to 14 last year. Those rental properties represented just 7.6 per cent of the total listings in the shire.
For households on the minimum wage, there were 50 available and affordable listings - the same as last year.
Anglicare Victoria's 2025 Rental Affordability Snapshot (RAS) is an annual survey of available rental properties, which measures their affordability for people receiving minimum wage or relying on income support payments.
Anglicare Victoria Gippsland acting regional director Katrina Stone said the Australian dream of owning your home was being superseded by the dream of "actually having a home to live in."
"For people getting by on support payments, the 2025 Rental Affordability Snapshot shows that private rentals are almost impossible to secure. After decades of under-investment, Victoria has the lowest proportion of social housing in the country," Ms Stone said.
"Over 65,000 Victorians are currently on the public housing waiting list. The number of young people under the age of 25 on the wait list is growing, as is the number of those waiting for housing that are fleeing family violence."
According to this year's RAS, no available rentals in the state were affordable for singles on Youth Allowance or JobSeeker.
"Young people leaving state care are at high risk of homelessness, and we need governments to allocate a proportion of public housing exclusively for this group of young people."
While the snapshot revealed availability had remained steady, affordability declined in regional areas. There were 2751 properties listed for rent in regional Victoria on snapshot day, a similar result to the 2776 in 2024. But, just 3.6 per cent were affordable for those on income support.
Ms Stone said the rental affordability situation was so dire, some parents trying to escape violence with their kids had no choice but to head back into the lion's den. "It's that or homelessness."
"The real implications of this data we see walking through our doors every day. That's families and individuals on the brink of homelessness, who can't afford a roof over their heads as well as food, medication, transport, and all the other costs that keep rising.
"The fact is, we need at least 60,000 new social housing properties across the state over the next decade to meet demand. Right now we are seriously lagging and every day more people are being left behind," she said.