A measly four rentals were affordable to people on income-support when experts swept through the Greater Bendigo housing market recently.
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It laid bare exactly how hard it was for people struggling on the minimum wage or income support to live in the regional city, Anglicare Victoria found.
It looked at all 167 properties available on March 16 for the snapshot of Bendigo's housing crisis.
Only four houses - or two per cent - were affordable and appropriate for families on income support.
Seventy were affordable for families on minimum wage.
Homelessness rises in Greater Bendigo
The damning findings come as the number of employed Victorians reaching out to homelessness services spikes by 14 per cent, according to the Council to Homeless Persons.
The same group found Bendigo's local government area among the top ten for places that working people were seeking help.
Anglicare Victoria assistant director for the north central region, Paula West, said the numbers showed how hard it was for families in the housing climate to get a roof over their heads.
She confirmed more people were sleeping rough in Bendigo.
"If you're someone who is relying on income support payments to feed your family and pay for accommodation, the Rental Affordability Snapshot shows it's incredibly difficult to find somewhere to rent that you can afford and which has enough space for your kids," she said.
"There is a very real connection between a lack of affordable housing and homelessness.
"In the Greater Bendigo region we are seeing many people living in their cars or camping by the river, this situation can be really unsafe for children and can create serious problems for people's health as we come into the winter months."
More needs to be done
Ms West said the most vulnerable in society were feeling the brunt of the housing shortage.
She said most people on income support are being forced to choose between feeding the family and paying the rent.
The assistant director said more needed to be done by state and federal governments to help those trapped in this cycle, including raising the income-support payment.
"The reality is JobSeeker and other income support payments simply aren't enough to cover the basics," she said
"The cost of everything is so much higher than it was just a few years ago. People shouldn't have to choose between a place to live and putting food on the table, but it's a choice that many families are being forced to make every week in our region.
"As well as raising the level of income support, much more is needed from both the state and federal governments to collaborate on social and affordable housing for those in need."
