Community agencies say they have pitched in on rents for some 20 families seeking asylum in order to keep them off the streets, with housing programs "oversubscribed and very full".
Companion House, Canberra Refugee Support and St Vincent de Paul are calling on the ACT government to expand two housing programs for asylum seekers and invest two rounds of $90,000 into a fund keeping asylum seekers from homelessness.
"In the [program] for families, we would have turned away probably seven families in the last six months, which then leaves [us] to cover their rents," Companion House Director Kathy Ragless said.
"If there is no expansion in the housing programs, and no discretionary funds to draw on, we will run out of capacity between the three agencies."
The agencies, which formed the Acute Rental Support Coordinating Committee four years ago, outlined an urgent need for asylum seeker housing in their submission to the 2022-2023 ACT budget.
Collectively, they are supporting 40-50 households, using $163,055 they have fundraised themselves to top up money allocated by a territory government discretionary fund.
'It's hard to build any decent community support around people'
"What we're talking about is [the housing crisis'] impact on a very vulnerable - perhaps one of the most vulnerable - populations, who don't have any status yet in the community.
"They're in the process of establishing that they're refugees and don't have access to Centrelink, that's a very vulnerable place to be."
Without assistance from the discretionary fund, just two of the agencies will spend in excess of $165,300 of their own funds in the next financial year.
That is discounting Companion House, which was unable to provide an estimate.
Ms Ragless said the agencies were only asking for small expansions to existing programs to include 10 additional families and three single males.
The budget submission also highlights housing as a key channel through which community services are able to support asylum seekers.
"It's really hard for any community support people to achieve good outcomes for people if they're living rough, or if they're moving from place to place where they may not be so welcome, it's hard to build any decent community support around people," she said.
"Housing and a stable and safe place to live is the fundamental building block."
The ACT government established the Refugee, Asylum Seeker and Humanitarian discretionary funding program in 2019-2020 to support asylum seekers with the the costs of essentials including housing and basic living expenses.
In the 2021-22 financial year the fund totalled $195,000, the majority of which had already been paid out by March 2022.
Ninety-nine applications had been made on behalf of 45 Access Card holders, leaving a remaining $33,295 available.
The fund has an annual budget allocation of $15,000, but was increased to provide support through COVID.
