MORE people are on the waiting list for public housing in the Ballarat region prompting the State Government to act on affordable housing numbers available to low-income Victorians.

Figures from the general public housing waiting list showed there were 789 families waiting for public housing in Ballarat, an increase of 19 families since the March quarter.

The government added 61 new properties in the Grampians region in the last financial year, but Shadow Minister for Housing Wendy Lovell said this was not enough.

"The 2008-09 budget papers reveal the state Labor government only plans to acquire an additional 130 properties for social and public housing in the 2008-09 financial year, which is cold comfort to the 36,302 Victorian families

languishing on Brumby's public housing waiting list," Ms Lovell said.

Housing Minister Richard Wynne said the government was taking action to boost the amount of affordable housing available to disadvantaged Victorians, but the explosion in the cost of private rentals was placing extra pressure

on the system.

"We are seeing people coming to the public sector who would previously have thought they would not have the need. At the same time, our turnover of tenants normally generated by people moving on is slowing down," Mr Wynne

said.

"The government recognises the need for more social housing and is taking action to boost the amount of affordable housing available to low-income Victorians through a range of initiatives."

These include the release of 90,000 land blocks by rezoning farm land in growth areas across Melbourne and helping the Federal Government to implement its National Rental Affordability Scheme which will put an extra 50,000

affordable homes on the market.

Mr Wynne said the government would also allocate more than $1.4 million in housing in Victoria over the next four years to build almost 4000 new dwellings.

Families waiting for urgent housing in the Ballarat region on Labour's early housing waiting list has also increased, Ms Lovell said.

The early housing list represents vulnerable families who are at risk or recurring homelessness, coping with a disability or who have special housing needs.

"This really is a dreadful state of affairs. We have a situation here where 789 families are languishing on Mr Wynne's public housing list, waiting for housing in the Ballarat region," Ms Lovell said.