It's been a long, cold winter for more than 41,000 Victorians desperate for a home as public housing waiting lists simply grow larger.
The state's public housing waiting list grew by 3.1 per cent in the three months to June to 41,017, up by more than 1200 people.
Housing Minister Richard Wynne blamed population growth, low rental vacancy rates and rising rents for the increased demand for public housing.
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But the opposition says the government has failed to address need over several years, and public housing is now in crisis.
In the June quarter the early housing waiting list - for vulnerable Victorians who are homeless, disabled or sick - grew by 219 to 12,051 people.
A person on the list can now expect to wait eight months on average for a home, up from about three months a decade ago, according to the opposition.
"What we have is a tired, lazy 11-year-old Labor government that doesn't care about struggling families and is failing to take responsibility for Victoria's housing crisis," opposition housing spokeswoman Wendy Lovell said.
Mr Wynne said the government was on track to complete construction of 4500 new homes in 2012.
This would take the number of new public houses built in the past decade to 20,000 properties, he said.
"But we know there is more to be done and we are committed to supporting vulnerable Victorians for the long term," Mr Wynne said.
