Demand for public housing in the ACT continues to outstrip supply, with about 1500 disadvantaged families waiting for a home last financial year.
However, figures detailed in the Community Services Directorate's 2010-11 annual report shows the number of families waiting for public housing has fallen by about 1000 in the past year.
But director of the ACT Council of Social Service Roslyn Dundas said the figures did not reveal the full picture.
She said an artificial cap on the number of applicants who could access Housing ACT's priority list had skewed the results.
The priority waiting list cap of 150 people was removed in August after a recommendation by the ACT Ombudsman.
Ms Dundas urged the ACT Government to conduct a 12-month review into its centralised waiting list, which was introduced last year to combine application processes for public and community housing.
The new system resulted in applicants being removed from the waiting list if they did not meet certain criteria.
''A review of the first 12 months of social housing register will allows us to get a better understanding of what is happening,'' Ms Dundas.
''We don't know the true nature through these figures, it does not reveal the extent of demand for public housing.''
Ms Dundas said more information was also needed on why tenancies ended.
She also expressed concern about an increase in the time it took authorities to re-let vacant public housing dwellings.
In 2009-10 about 87 per cent of vacant public housing properties were re-let within the 28 days but in 2010-11 this decreased to only 79 per cent.
''People who are stuck in homeless services are trying to get into priority housing. It is vital housing stock is being maintained and can be released as soon as possible,'' she said.
About 67 per cent of Canberrans classified as needing priority housing were housed within 90 days last financial year, up from 65.1per cent in 2009-10.
The report shows 1045 public housing tenancies ended last year, with 303 tenants moving to alternative accommodation and 16 evictions for breaches of leases.
There are 11,805 public housing dwellings in the ACT.
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