There are 115,000 properties considered to be public housing in New South Wales – that is, properties that are government-owned and offered as low-cost accommodation to people who need it.

Family and Community Services NSW receive about 40,000 applications every year and, with about 56,000 people already on the waiting list and limited resources available, you could say that Sydney has a public housing crisis.

So, how does the public housing system work?

Tess spoke to Acting Director of Housing Statewide Services Lynne Beven who says the government has a number of projects in place to build more housing. You can use this interactive dashboard on the FACS website to find out the expected waiting times for public housing in your area.