Spurred on by one of the best Spring and Summer sale seasons for some time, a litany of state and federal government financial incentives for first home buyers and the high levels of confidence in the housing sector, Bendigo's real estate market has boomed throughout the pandemic, despite earlier predictions from mostly city-based commentators of a major catastrophe.

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Priced out of Melbourne and other major cities, many would be buyers have turned to regional cities such as Bendigo, and the surrounding towns including Heathcote, Castlemaine and Kyneton.

Lured by the promise of cheaper property and a lifestyle bigger cities simply cannot provide, these recent purchasers are now spurring a new generation of home building and renovations which will provide a welcome injection into our economy and help support the jobs of many small business owners and the tradespeople they employ.

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But sadly, the good news does not extend across all sectors of the housing market and other associated industries.

Date out this week shows less than a third of Australia's homeless people provided with temporary hotel accommodation during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic have successfully transitioned into longer-term housing.

Meanwhile, approximately 30 per cent of tenants who received rent variations from their landlords received deferrals rather than reductions - meaning their debts have ballooned as the economy remains in the doldrums.

The study by UNSW and the Australian Council of Social Service found the reduction in homelessness at the height of the pandemic has begun to reverse.

If we are to acknowledge and celebrate the relevant advantages of such a strong property market, we must also acknowledge there's still a long way to go before we say the same about how we address homelessness and the ever-growing demand for more social housing infrastructure.

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