New data has revealed Queenslanders are currently waiting almost two-and-a-half years on the social housing register.

This is an increase in wait time of more than a year since June 2019.

And a growing number of children are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

Just under a third of all applications, or 7,852 of 25,385 applications, are households with children, an increase of 9 per cent from December 2023.

Applications for single parent families increased from 6,533 to 7,082 over the same period, and applications for couples with children increased from 694 to 770.

Queensland Council of Social Service CEO Aimee McVeigh says the wait list time is a shocking indicator of a housing system under pressure.

“This new data highlights what our services are telling us on the ground, more and more families with children are struggling to make ends meet and paying the rent has become an expense people cannot afford,” Ms McVeigh said.

The number of people on Queensland’s social housing register rose from 43,782 in December 2023 to 45,473 in March this year, according to the quarterly data.

A staggering 12,749 applications on the waitlist included persons that are flagged as homeless or at risk of being homeless, equating to half of all applications.

The two-and-a-half-year wait has seen a record number of families needing desperate help in crisis hotel accommodation across Queensland.

Ms McVeigh has applauded the bi-partisan promise to ramp up the delivery of social housing at a rate not seen since 1945 but said more must be done and urged both the State Government and LNP to address rental reform to help solve the homeless crisis.

“An affordable private rental market will help to ease the demand for social housing. We need to make the private rental market fairer for Queenslanders so that they have security and can afford to pay the rent to keep a roof over the head of their children,” Ms McVeigh said.

“We call on the government to limit the number of rental increases, end no grounds evictions, and implement energy efficient standards for rental homes to reduce the cost of living and improve wellbeing.

“Both the Government and State Opposition must also commit to 10 per cent of social housing being supportive housing to end the cycle of homelessness for vulnerable Queenslanders.

“Supportive housing is a proven cost-effective, secure and safe form of housing for vulnerable Queenslanders with high support needs.”