In recent months, women who were sleeping on the couches of friends found themselves unwelcomed, those living with violence were confined with their abusers and others who simply had no place to go were more vulnerable than ever.

To put this in a local context, YWCA Canberra's services have experienced a 170 per cent increase in housing support referrals. It was reassuring to see some state governments respond quickly by accommodating homeless people in local hotels and motels, highlighting what many already knew; that homelessness does not have to be an intractable social problem.

Homelessness is preventable; a well-resourced community housing sector and a diversity of affordable housing options, capable of meeting the needs of individuals and families, plays an important role in public wellbeing and meeting the housing needs of a community.

Responding to the needs of women who are homeless remains a pillar of our front-line work, and this month also marks the one-year anniversary of our specialised housing program for older women experiencing homelessness, Next Door. To date, this service has assisted nearly 80 women into new homes or to maintain their existing tenancies.

This year also marks an election year for the ACT and an opportunity for everyone to highlight the service gaps in the city and consider how we are supporting Canberra's most vulnerable. While Canberra is perceived as an affluent and progressive city, the reality is that nearly 30,000 of us are living below the poverty line and more than one-third are in rental stress. Counted among our many housing clients are single older women and single mothers and families on modest incomes who struggle to afford rent in a competitive market but who are not eligible for public housing relief.

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Single older women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and women living with disabilities are some of the most vulnerable members of our community. On top of the confusion of trying to navigate a labyrinth of agencies, these clients report feeling embarrassed and facing discrimination when attempting to access housing support.

To change this, this election YWCA Canberra is calling for much-needed disability upgrades to Canberra's refuge and crisis housing stock, and funding for specialist and culturally appropriate homeless services for First Nations women.

Affordable housing options often fail to meet the demands of the increasing number of families in rental stress, so we welcome this week's announcement to increase the cap on the number of affordable rentals available to philanthropic investors under a land-tax exemption scheme and continue our calls for more three- and four-bedroom family homes to be released under the Affordable Home Purchase Program.

This election, we have an opportunity to place the housing needs of our community at the top of the next ACT government's to-do list. It's well overdue that we create a community where housing approaches are people-centred, accessible, safe and affordable.