The report by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling at the University of Canberra found up to one in every 10 Canberrans are living in low-income households, as are some 12 per cent of the city's children.

It also revealed almost 20 per cent of the ACT's "small areas", a statistical measurement unit based around population of about 320 people, are experiencing two or more "indicators of disadvantage".

The report comes as the government moves more than 1000 public housing tenants to new proposed public housing blocks across the city, sparking concerns ranging from public transport accessibility to bushfire risks for some developments.

Commissioned by the ACT Council of Social Services, NATSEM researchers analysed small area data from the 2016 Census on several measures of disadvantage ranging from the proportion of weekly income spent on rent to school completion rates.

Co-author, UC associate professor of economics, Riyana Miranti said the one in five small areas experiencing two or more indicators of disadvantage in the ACT was above the average for Australia capital cities and one in 10 small areas were higher on three or more indicators.

"However, the disadvantage in Canberra does not tend to be concentrated in particular suburbs or regions," she said.

ACTCOSS director Susan Helyer said the report showed some 37,000 Canberrans were living in households this year with an "equivalised annual income under $26,000", including nearly 8000 children.

"[The council] knows that it takes astute and vigilant household budget management to cope on a very low income," she said.

"But even with that, many households are unable to keep a roof over their head, food on the table, heat their home, and keep a car on the road, as well as buy medicine when it is needed."

The dynamic of having high average incomes that mask smaller pockets of poverty has been well-examined, but it seems the current approaches to disadvantage in Canberra have not actually addressed the problem.

While the council has repeatedly called for a $100 million fund to provide more affordable housing, a call the government has to date, ignored.

Instead, Housing Minister Yvette Berry responded to such calls at a public housing summit on Tuesday with a $1 million fund for "innovation" in the area and a pledge to supply an extra 230 blocks for affordable housing by July next year.

The NATSEM report also found that in 16.1 per cent of small areas in the ACT, the childhood low income rate was higher than the capital city average, and there were six areas across the ACT where more than 50 per cent of the children were living in low income households.

"There were 161 small areas in the ACT (16%) paying more of their gross income on rent than the capital city average of 23.2 per cent, with 23 small areas in the ACT paying more than 30 per cent of gross income on rent," the report reads.

"This indicates rental stress, and possible financial stress in terms of income available to spend on food, clothes, heating, and children' education expenses."

The council's own analysis of disadvantage over the past three years has found the cost of living for low income households in Canberra has risen faster than that for high income households.

Marymead chief executive Camilla Rowland said the report also highlighted that the ACT has overall lower levels of disadvantage than other jurisdictions.

But she said it was "important to recognise the salt and peppering of public housing" in the ACT masks the needs of the most vulnerable Canberrans.

YWCA executive director Frances Crimmins said the report built on the existing evidence that showed "we need to address a range of access and equity issues for Canberra's most vulnerable people".

"This includes providing appropriate and affordable housing, quality education from the early years through to college, and to ensure all young people have access to skills and resources to equip them for the jobs of the future," she said.

The report will be released at a breakfast on Wednesday to mark this year's ACT Anti-Poverty Week.