02/11/2026
BRISBANE'S HOUSING CRISIS: THE NUMBERS BEHIND SOCIAL HOUSING, EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION AND FUNDING CUTS
How many people need housing? How many are missing out? And what is being done?
With homelessness increasing across Brisbane and surrounding communities, it's important to understand the difference between social housing, affordable housing and emergency accommodation.
Here are the latest available figures from government reports, parliamentary records and homelessness services.
SOCIAL HOUSING IN QUEENSLAND
As at 31 August 2026:
• 41,995 people, representing 24,454 households, were on Queensland's social housing register.
• Queensland had 78,820 social and community homes.
• 1,019 households entered social housing during July and August 2026.
• 7,018 social and affordable homes were under construction or contract.
• 4,672 homes had been delivered towards the government's target of 53,500 additional social and community homes by 2044.
These are statewide figures. Social housing includes public and community housing, generally provided at subsidised rents to eligible households. Affordable housing is a broader category and does not necessarily have the same eligibility or rental arrangements.
HOMELESSNESS IN BRISBANE
Brisbane Zero data covering July 2025 to June 2026 identified:
• 984 families experiencing homelessness, including 1,539 children.
• 715 families headed by a single mother.
• 321 families experiencing homelessness for the first time.
• 2,326 individuals separately recorded as experiencing homelessness.
• 318 families, including 558 children, housed during the reporting period.
These figures include people sleeping rough, living in vehicles, motels and emergency accommodation. They represent people identified through participating services, not every person experiencing homelessness in Brisbane.
EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION
Queensland Government figures show:
• 2,169 Queenslanders were in short-term temporary accommodation as at 31 August 2026.
• 18,359 people received assistance from funded specialist homelessness services during July 2026.
Emergency accommodation can include temporary hotel or motel placements and crisis accommodation. It provides immediate shelter but does not guarantee permanent housing.
HOW LONG DOES EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION LAST?
There is no single standard duration applying to every emergency accommodation service.
Queensland Government parliamentary records confirm that, as at 28 May 2025, the average stay under the Immediate Housing Response program was 4.04 months, approximately 123 days.
This was an average across participating Queensland households, not a guaranteed entitlement.
Accommodation periods depend on the program, individual circumstances, ongoing assessments and availability.
For some people, temporary accommodation provides a pathway into longer-term housing. Others continue to face uncertainty about where they will live when that assistance ends.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE MISSING OUT?
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported the following national figures for 2024–25:
• 116,000 people receiving specialist homelessness support needed short-term or emergency accommodation.
• 68,800 people, or 59%, received that accommodation directly.
• 11,100 people, or 9.6%, were referred to another agency.
• 36,200 people, or 31%, had their emergency accommodation needs unmet, meaning they received neither accommodation nor a referral for that need.
There were also approximately 129,000 unassisted requests for homelessness services nationally, averaging 350 requests every day.
Around 60% of those requests, approximately 77,400, involved emergency or short-term accommodation.
These are national figures, not Brisbane figures. Unassisted requests can include repeat approaches by the same person and must not be counted as separate individuals.
A verified Brisbane-wide total of people refused emergency accommodation is not available from these published figures.
RECENT FUNDING CUTS
In August 2026, media reporting identified approximately $42 million in reductions to Queensland's Immediate Housing Response emergency hotel and motel accommodation program.
The reporting indicated potential impacts on frontline staffing and service providers, including Mission Australia, Brisbane Youth Service, the Salvation Army and other organisations.
Micah Projects also confirmed reductions in additional emergency hotel program funding.
The Queensland Government stated that demand for the program had reduced as households transitioned into other housing arrangements. Service providers raised concerns about the effect of reduced funding on emergency accommodation capacity.
WHAT ABOUT NEW HOUSING FUNDING?
The Queensland Government's 2026–27 Budget also announced:
• $5.72 billion over four years for social and community housing construction.
• An additional $450 million over four years for specialist homelessness services and crisis support.
• More than $1 billion in total funding for homelessness services over four years.
This means reductions to particular emergency accommodation programs are occurring alongside increased investment in other housing and homelessness services.
Both developments need to be acknowledged when discussing funding.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS?
The figures show substantial demand for both immediate accommodation and permanent housing.
A person may qualify for social housing but remain on the register while suitable accommodation is unavailable.
They may receive emergency accommodation for weeks or months without securing a permanent home.
Others may approach homelessness services and find that emergency accommodation cannot be provided.
Long-term housing construction is essential, but homes under construction do not provide immediate shelter to people sleeping rough tonight.
There is a significant difference between funding housing for the future and having somewhere safe for people to sleep today.
SOURCES
1. Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works, OpenHome Housing Dashboard, updated 30 September 2026.
2. Brisbane Zero, 2025–26 homelessness data, reported by ABC News, 4 August 2026.
3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2024–25, published December 2025.
4. Queensland Parliament, Question on Notice No. 569 of 2025, Immediate Housing Response accommodation duration and funding.
5. Queensland Government, 2026–27 State Budget, Housing and Public Works.
6. Courier-Mail, August 2026, reporting on $42 million in Immediate Housing Response funding reductions.
7. ABC News, August 2026, reporting on Brisbane homelessness and emergency hotel program funding changes.