National Shelter is a non-government peak organisation that aims to improve housing access, affordability, appropriateness, safety and security for people on low incomes.
Since 1976, National Shelter has worked towards this goal by influencing government policy and action, and by raising public awareness about housing issues.
National Shelter’s aim is to work towards every Australian having access to housing that is:
- Affordable — people should not be left in poverty after they have met their housing costs
- Adequate — everybody is entitled to housing that meets basic standards of decency and their own basic needs
- Secure — people should not live under threat of loss of home and shelter
- Accessible — access to housing should be free from discrimination
- In the right place — housing should be located close to transport, services and support networks, job opportunities, and social and leisure activities
- Able to meet their lifecycle needs — people have different housing needs at different stages of their lives, and housing should be available to meet these changing needs.