A new survey has revealed housing affordability and homelessness is the biggest issue in the Ballarat electorate.
The Salvation Army’s second national Social Justice Stocktake was released this morning, with almost 16,000 people across the country surveyed as to which issues are weighing on them, their loved ones and the local community.
70.3 per cent of those surveyed identified housing affordability as an issue in the community, a much higher result compared to the 2022 Stocktake, followed by mental health and access to health care.
The Salvation Army says at best estimates, around 707 people in Ballarat are experiencing homelessness alone and there’s an unmet housing need of 3,900 dwellings.
Mental health and financial hardship were named the two biggest individual concerns in the electorate.
