The data shows 32,474 people were on the social housing waiting list as at June 30, 2018, a 9 per cent increase on the previous year.

There were 9245 people on the waiting list who were living on the streets, in makeshift or illegal housing, fleeing domestic violence, at risk of violence, lost their home due to a caravan park closing or living in crisis accommodation, in a category referred to as "homeless category A".

More than two in five of them were children.

The average wait time in Queensland for public housing was 15 months.

Greens Grififth candidate Max Chandler-Mather said if the state government was turning thousands of children away from public schools or hospitals it would be a national scandal.

"Almost 4000 of these kids are categorised as high-risk, which means they will spend Christmas on the streets, in temporary or illegal housing, at risk of family violence or in shelters and crisis accommodation," he said.

"That's unacceptable in a wealthy country like ours."

Mr Chandler-Mather said Queensland, along with the rest of the country, was experiencing a housing crisis.

"What's infuriating is there is a simple solution to this," he said.

"Build hundreds of thousands of good quality social homes that are available not just to the most vulnerable, but to teachers, nurses, public servants and whoever needs one."

Queensland Housing Minister Mick de Brenni said people experienced homelessness for a variety of reasons and may apply for social housing to help them during challenging times.

"Reasons people might apply for social housing include the affordability of rental accommodation, people leaving domestic and family violence situations, or deterioration of physical or mental health," he said.

"Women who approach us fleeing domestic and family violence, or families with young children who are facing homelessness - we will do everything possible to ensure you are safe and your housing needs are prioritised."

"Anyone can apply for public housing in Queensland and increasingly this is because they are priced out of private rental accommodation."

Mr de Brenni said the government supported people into housing through programs such as RentConnect, bond loans, rental grants and the National Rental Affordability Scheme.

"The Palaszczuk government is building 4522 social homes and 1034 affordable homes as part of our $1.8 billion 10-year Housing Strategy," he said.

"We're also bridging the gap between public housing and home ownership by unlocking $2 billion to provide Queenslanders with a range of affordable housing options, through our Partnering for Growth Strategy."

That includes the state government's recently announced $70 million Build to Rent program, which will provide a rental subsidy to a developers to deliver affordable rental housing in Brisbane.

Federal Labor has promised a $6.6 billion plan to build 250,000 new homes across the country over a decade for people struggling to pay rent, while the Greens have a plan to build 500,000 new rent-controlled homes nationwide.

State Greens MP Michael Berkman said he would continue to hold Labor to account on the issue of social housing in Parliament next year.

"Rather than give property developers cash handouts we could make them pay their fair share and use the money to build hundreds of thousands of good quality social homes," he said.

"The solutions exist and I'm ready and waiting to work with Labor to implement them."

Across Queensland, there are more than 21,000 one-bedroom properties, about 18,000 two-bedroom homes, more than 25,000 three-bedroom homes, 6000 four-bedroom homes and 1000 larger homes.