Anglicare Victoria’s research is an essential part of our advocacy efforts to improve the lives of the state’s most vulnerable children, families and young people.
Combined with our frontline expertise and community connections, we use our research to work for a better system. We advocate for positive changes to improve the lives of disadvantaged Victorians.
2025
Victorian Rental Affordability Snapshot 2025
Anglicare Victoria’s 2025 Rental Affordability Snapshot (RAS) reveals that securing a property on the private rental market is out of reach for most Victorians on low incomes.
While there are more properties available and median rents have stabilised compared to last year, there is still a critical lack of affordable homes for the most vulnerable people in our community, including single parents, students, job seekers, and those living with a disability. Finding a suitable and affordable rental remains out of reach for many of our clients, and Victorians are feeling the pinch as the cost of essential goods and services continues to rise.
2024
Victorian Rental Affordability Snapshot 2024
Anglicare Victoria’s 2024 Rental Affordability Snapshot shows the most vulnerable in our society continue to be left behind in a tight housing market as finding a suitable and affordable rental remains out of reach for students, job seekers, and those living with a disability.
In 2024, availability improved in some regional areas for some household types but worsened in Melbourne. However, median rents increased substantially across the state and, at the same time, the cost of essential goods and services skyrocketed, meaning many singles, couples and families have been forced to make impossible choices to keep a roof over their heads.
2023
Victorian Rental Affordability Snapshot 2023
Anglicare Victoria’s 2023 Rental Affordability Snapshot outlines a bleak state of affairs for families, parents and singles earning the minimum wage or relying on income support. The availability of rental properties has dropped by two thirds in two years, while rents are rising rapidly.
For those that are lucky enough to even find a place to rent, housing stress is adding to the pressure of everyday life.
2022
Victorian Rental Affordability Snapshot 2022
Housing stress is particularly problematic in 2022 with wages stagnant and the cost of living rising.
Anglicare Victoria’s 2022 Rental Affordability Snapshot analysed 18,934 private rental listings and found that those who rely on income support or pensions, and many on the minimum wage, continue to find it all but impossible to secure rentals in the private market without going into housing stress.
2021
COVID-19: Impacting a generation
The pandemic profoundly affected us all, but hit vulnerable people hardest of all. Anglicare Victoria changed the way many programs operated so that staff were able to continue delivering vital services in a safe way to children, young people and families at dozens of our locations across the state. This report looks at the increased need in areas such as family violence, education and emergency relief resulting from the pandemic.
2021 Rental Affordability Snapshot
When Melbourne families emerged from Coronavirus lockdowns in 2020, where did they go? Regional cities and towns, where they had more space to breathe. Anglicare Victoria’s 2021 Rental Affordability Snapshot analysed 33,710 rental listings and found that all the people moving away from Melbourne have pushed the cost of regional rental properties through the roof.
Financial stress in Victoria during lockdown
COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria during 2020 were a testing time for everyone. The research summary report looked at data from more than 9500 clients of our financial counselling services and found that utility payments, credit cards and household debt were the leading causes of financial stress during this period. The higher JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments effectively supported those without work.
Rapid Response keeps families together
Rapid Response is a program designed to keep families together and reduce the strain on the over-burdened child protection system. This evaluation by Monash University found that 80 per cent of families who completed the program were still together six months later. The program provides a lot of promise for more widespread use in Victoria and beyond.
2020
Anglicare Victoria Strategic Agenda 2020-2024
Every day our clients achieve amazing things for themselves, for each other and for their community. It is our privilege to support them to grow, sustain, excel and transform. The Strategic Agenda describes our shared goals and directions for the next four years.
2020 Rental Affordability Snapshot
The 2020 Rental Affordability Snapshot told a similar story to the 2019 edition – people on low incomes and income support are struggling to find affordable properties to rent. But the 2020 survey of more than 19,000 properties was taken just before the introduction of the additional JobSeeker and JobKeeper supplements, enabling researchers to project an increase in affordable properties for households on income support and lower income couples with children.
TEACHaR Impact Statement 2019-20
Young people in state care have to deal with more of life’s challenges than the average school student. Anglicare Victoria’s TEACHaR (Transforming Educational Achievement of CHildren at Risk) program continues to evolve, helping children to regain their confidence in the classroom with the support of trained education specialists. The 2020–21 impact statement evaluates a period right in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, when TEACHaR was an important lifeline for hundreds of struggling young people.
2019
2019 Victorian Rental Affordability Snapshot
Only one in every 50 properties advertised in Victoria was affordable for households living on income support payments, according to the 2019 Victorian Rental Affordability Snapshot. The research examined 15,750 property listings, showing rental affordability going from bad to worse for those on income support or low incomes.
TEACHaR Outcomes That Matter
The TEACHaR program was designed by Anglicare Victoria to provide tailored educational support to help vulnerable children in care. This evaluation of TEACHaR, overseen by the Victorian Government, has shown exceptional progress for many of the children in the program. Almost three quarters (74 per cent) of the children in the study group either improved or maintained their school attendance, while 94 per cent either improved or maintained their results in at least one of the areas being evaluated.
2018
2018 Victorian Rental Affordability Snapshot
It’s a constant challenge for those on low incomes to find rental properties which are both affordable and have enough bedrooms to avoid overcrowding. Once a year, the Rental Affordability Snapshot takes a look at the market to find just how tough it is for those on income support and the minimum wage who are looking for a place to call home.
Exploring the nature of gambling issues for young people
Think you’re a skillful gambler? An overly optimistic view of gambling as a way to make money is one of the first signs you could have a problem. Funded by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, this research report looks at gambling for young people in rural communities to find out why they are up to four times as likely to be problem gamblers compared with adults.
