More than 5,400 Tasmanians are waiting for social housing, the highest number on record, as Hobart City Mission launches an urgent call for community support through its Sleep Rough 2026 event.
The charity’s Housing Program Manager Ewan Higgs said the social housing waitlist has jumped 42% over five years, with many applicants representing entire families.
“Priority applicants are waiting more than 84 weeks – that’s around 18 months in unsafe, temporary, or no housing at all,” he said.
The Sleep Rough community sleep-out will take place on Friday, May 8 at Princess Wharf 1 with a fundraising target of $300,000.
Schools are also encouraged to host their own campus events.
Higgs said this as a community event which also highlighted the work the charity did.
“We’re trying to highlight the work we do, the difficulties that people are having, not just around lack of housing, but lack of affordability for other critical services and for food,” he said.
“We’re trying to get people out to join in and do something which we hope is a little bit of fun on our part, but actually to really highlight the importance of the issue and … raise critical funds to allow us to keep doing the work we do.”
Hobart City Mission distributes more than 1000 food packs monthly and shelters around 80 adults and 30 children every night.
Emergency relief packs have almost doubled over three years as cost-of-living pressures have mounted.
Dr Lauren McGrow from Shelter Tasmania said wrap-around support services are essential alongside housing construction.
“A house needs to be affordable, suitable for that tenant, with access to transport and services, and safe,” she said.
“People who’ve experienced homelessness need that support to help break the cycles that lead to homelessness in the first place.”
Major sponsor Clennett’s Mitre 10 Group Sales Manager Brett Andrews said reaching the $300,000 target would bring total Sleep Rough fundraising to $1 million over five years.
Organisers say every dollar raised will stay in southern Tasmania, providing food, shelter and accommodation pathways.
The Tasman Bridge will be lit yellow to mark the event.
Registration and donations are available at sleeprough.com.au/signup.
