MORE and more families are facing an uncertain future as the queue for public housing in the western suburbs continues to grow.
Office of Housing figures show that 1420 families in Footscray and Flemington are waiting for public housing.
As the shortage of public housing worsens, the risk of homelessness is becoming greater by the day.
Faith Griffiths, of the Flemington Tenants Association, said people were bunking down in any place they could find.
Lots of families were "couch surfing" with relatives while they waited, she added.
Ms Griffiths said she regularly helped people wanting to lodge general applications for public housing as well as referring possible urgent early housing cases to Metro West Housing Services in Footscray.
"I'll get at least two people a week minimum coming in [asking for help]," she said. "They've all got different issues."
Ms Griffiths said people were stranded on public housing waiting lists now more than ever, and private rental housing was simply beyond the reach of many.
"There's just nowhere at the moment. A lot of people are seeking four- or five-bedroom homes. It's becoming tougher for everyone. I've watched it over the past two years. It's becoming atrocious.
"Unless your partner's working and you're working, you get nowhere."
Brett Bedson, general manager of Yarra Community Housing Metro West, said the organisation was hoping to work with the Government to establish crisis accommodation in the western suburbs.
It currently helps homeless people look for crisis accommodation and provides emergency funds for families struggling to pay private rental accommodation.
Metro West has 300 transitional properties across the west, including Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley.
Mr Bedson said the service was finding that people now stayed in transitional housing longer than the average 12 months.
"We're seeing an increase in people presenting to our service who have been excluded from the private rental market," he said.
"With the current economic climate we're seeing an increase in people approaching the service as homeless as a result of losing their private rental from loss of employment."
State Opposition housing spokesman Wendy Lovell said the demand for public housing had reached a seven-year high, with 38,980 families on the waiting list.
"The ever-increasing waiting list highlights the Government's failure to deliver effective affordable housing policies over the past 10 years. The failure has led to a crisis across all levels of housing in Victoria."
A Government spokesman said that despite increasing numbers applying for public housing in Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley, numbers
had dropped by 1000 since 1999.
He said the Government was increasing housing stocks in the area, including working with Yarra Community Housing Metro West to redevelop the Barkly Street Hotel in Footscray to create 70 affordable rental homes by the end of the year.
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