A city in crisis, where full-time, minimum wage earners have no affordable place to sleep
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A new report from Anglicare shows that even minimum wage-earners who work full-time are being priced out of Sydney’s rental market, with nothing available for people on income support.
Key findings:
- Only 1.8% of rentals were affordable for people on the minimum wage down from 2.5% in 2024.
- Just 0.1% of listings were affordable for income support recipients, with only 17 suitable rentals found out of 13,334 listings across Sydney and the Illawarra.
- Rental affordability for minimum wage earners has dropped 84% in five years, from 1,464 properties in 2020 to just 227 in 2025.
- Rental listings remain well below pre-pandemic levels, despite a slight recovery from 2024. There were 13,334 properties listed in 2025, still 44% lower than in 2019.
- Share housing is not a solution, with only 5 out of more than 3,100 share listings in Sydney and Wollongong affordable for a single person on JobSeeker.
Anglicare’s annual Rental Affordability Snapshot has revealed that even full-time work is no longer a safeguard against housing stress, with a sharp fall in affordable rental options for people on the minimum wage and virtually nothing available for those on income support.
The crisis in private renting has led to an 84% decline over the last five years of rentals that are affordable and appropriate for households on the minimum wage.
The landmark 2025 report, conducted 15-16 March, found only 1.8% of rentals across Greater Sydney were affordable and appropriate for workers on the minimum wage.
Anglicare Sydney CEO Simon Miller said the Snapshot shows that Sydney is becoming a city that excludes even full-time workers.
“Housing stress has moved beyond the margins. Now, even some people working full-time can’t afford to rent. If those on minimum wage have almost no affordable options, what hope do those on income support have?”
The research found just 17 out of 13,334 private rentals to be affordable and appropriate for people on income support, a mere 0.1% of total listings.
For a family supported by JobSeeker with two children, there was only two affordable and appropriate properties available across Greater Sydney and the Illawarra; and in half of the regions surveyed, there was not a single affordable and appropriate rental available for households on income support payments.
As Australians head to the polls for the federal election, Mr Miller said housing must be a priority.
“The picture is dire. People are faced with impossible choices to ensure they have a roof over their heads, forgoing dental and medical appointments, fresh foods and other essentials,” Mr Miller said.
“If people are being faced with this choice, it means our housing system is broken and whoever leads our country next must commit to fixing it. Housing is the cost-of-living burden we all talk about but have never properly addressed and now we are running out of time.”
“We need an urgent and long-term commitment to improving housing affordability. Low-income workers and families need relief now and the many Australians who are long-term renters - particularly those on income support like the Age Pension and JobSeeker - cannot be forgotten.”
Anglicare Sydney is calling for urgent action from all levels of government to address the deepening rental crisis.
“Anglicare is doing its part by investing in the development of affordable and social housing in areas like Merrylands and Dapto, but we can’t solve this alone,” Mr Miller said.
“We need investment in social and affordable housing from both the next Federal Government and the NSW Government. We are calling for a doubling of investment through the Housing Australia Future Fund, and for reform to income supports so they reflect today’s costs.”
“Housing policy must do more than just help first home buyers, and whoever forms government after the election must make affordable housing their first order of business.”
Anglicare Sydney is calling for:
The Federal Government to:
- Increase the number of social and affordable homes, by doubling the Housing Australia Future Fund.
- Increase JobSeeker to 90% of the Age Pension.
- Increase the maximum rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) by 50% for couples and 40% for singles, and index it to regional rent data.
The NSW Government to:
- Commit to building 25,000 new social and affordable homes over the next 5 years.
- Expand access to Crown Land for social and affordable housing.
- Introduce mandatory inclusionary zoning.
- Fund wrap-around supports for vulnerable renters and older Australians.
About us:
About Anglicare Sydney:
Anglicare Sydney is a Christian not-for-profit organisation providing care to older people and community services throughout Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Illawarra, Southern Highlands, New England North West, Central West and Norfolk Island.
Anglicare has been serving those in need for more than 160 years, employing more than 5,000 staff and serving alongside 1,300 volunteers.
Anglicare provides a diverse range of services including providing care through residential aged care homes, at home care services, retirement living communities, affordable homes for people over 55, community services for children, families and those experiencing social isolation, disaster recovery in times of crisis and helping to effect change through research and advocacy.
Contact details:
Media Contact: Dylan Malloch
M: 0492 044 981
