National Shelter has long been a strong, independent voice on housing, shaping the federal policy conversation and tirelessly advocating for better housing outcomes for people living on lower incomes. Today, it is a pleasure and honour to announce that this valuable work has been recognised by the Australian Government and funding for the national peak housing advocacy body has been reinstated. 

National Shelter, alongside homelessness peak body Homelessness Australia, has been awarded a Homelessness Sector Development Grant. This grant will see core funding reinstated for National Shelter for the first time in over a decade, with both national housing and homelessness peak bodies receiving a combined $1.6m p.a. over the next three years.  

This funding will allow National Shelter to continue to advocate for solutions for a sustainable and equitable housing system that treats housing as a human right, not an asset class, and assist government efforts to tackle homelessness. As per the terms of the grant, National Shelter will:  

• scale up research and boost policy development capability,  
• strengthen coordination efforts, 
• and bring forward new ideas to support the homelessness sector.  

National Shelter and its team warmly welcome this decision from the Albanese Government, a clear demonstration of its commitment to deliver better housing outcomes for people living on lower incomes and rectify the Australian housing system. National Shelter and the broader Shelter network thank The Hon. Clare O’Neil MP, Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Cities, for her support. 

National Shelter Chair, John Engeler, said the funding marks a significant and long-overdue step toward rebuilding Australia’s national housing policy infrastructure:  “This investment couldn’t have come at a more critical time. Greater housing security for people on low and very-low incomes remains the gold standard of a healthy and sustainable housing system. This funding will allow National Shelter to scale up the policy research, awareness raising, evidence-based advocacy and lived-experience engagement that Australia urgently needs to respond to this housing crisis. With these additional resources, we can work more closely with our members across every state and territory to bring forward practical, grounded solutions to the housing and homelessness crisis.”

This funding will allow National Shelter to expand on its continued (unfunded) work and impact over the last ten years. Our 2025 election platform continues to serve as a basis for genuine conversation about the true solutions to fix the housing system. We have recently published our 2026-2027 Pre Budget Submission. And National Shelter’s submission to the Inquiry on the Operation of the Capital Gains Tax Discount has been recognised for its valuable contribution to the housing taxation reform debate, with National Shelter Chair, John Engeler, and lead submission author, Thomas Chailloux, set to appear at a public parliamentary hearing later this month. 

Click here to read National Shelter’s press release. 

Shelter NSW team, along with other State Shelters, has contributed significantly to National Shelter’s work and federal housing policy development, analysis, and advocacy, in a complex and evolving policy landscape, under severe resource constraints. We are delighted to make this announcement about a new chapter for National Shelter, and hopefully, for housing policy across the nation.