Homelessness statistics
What is Australia’s homeless population?
On Census night in 2021, statistics show 122,494 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness. That’s an increase of 5.2 per cent since the 2016 Census.
However, there are more people who – due to varying circumstances – are vulnerable to becoming homeless, this is called being ‘at risk of experiencing homelessness’. The statistics gathered by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on the number of people seeking support from Specialist Homelessness Services partly reflect this larger picture of homelessness in Australia.
In 2021-22, more than 272,000 people sought help from homelessness agencies (Specialist Homelessness Services). Of these people, 56 per cent were at risk of homelessness rather than homeless.
The table below shows homelessness statistics for a few of the main groups of people experiencing homelessness and seeking support from services.
Homelessness statistics in your state
Statistics gathered by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show which states and territories have the largest numbers of people seeking support from Specialist Homelessness Services.
Victoria had the largest percentage of people seeking support (37 per cent), followed by NSW (25 per cent). Based on state population data, Victoria also had a high rate of people receiving assistance (one in 64). This is compared to the national rate of one in 94. Comparatively, NSW was below the national rate at one in 118. The Northern Territory was the highest above national rate, at one in 25 people receiving homelessness assistance.
Homelessness facts: What does it mean to be ‘homeless’?
When a person does not have suitable accommodation, they are considered homeless if their current living arrangement:
- Is in a dwelling that is inadequate; or
- Has no tenure, or if their initial tenure is short and not extendable; or
- Does not allow them to have control of, and access to space for social relations
This may include:
- Rough sleeping, for example on park benches, in public toilets, under bridges
- Makeshift tents
- Sleeping in a car
- Staying temporarily with a friend, family member or acquaintance (couch surfing)
- Staying at refuges, in boarding houses, or other forms of crisis or transitional housing for the homeless
- Overcrowded housing – that is, dwellings that require four or more extra bedrooms to adequately accommodate the residents
As the following chart shows, many people who are experiencing homelessness are sleeping in houses. However, because that house (or dwelling) is likely to be either unsafe, overcrowded, lacking suitable facilities or unreliable, it means a person is experiencing homelessness.
Regardless of where people are sleeping, being homeless means feeling unsafe and disconnected from community or loved ones. It causes or heightens mental health and physical health challenges, and makes getting ahead in life almost impossible.
“My children and I are currently homeless and unable to find housing. We have been couch surfing for a little over a year now. Never been in a situation like this before. I now have severe depression and anxiety and so do both [of] my children. I can't answer or make phone calls. I'm constantly in fight or flight mode…I lost my job and unable to get other work because I'm so unwell. I'm now in debt which I have never been.”
– 42-year-old female respondent to The Red Shield Report 2023: At breaking point. The Salvation Army Australia, Policy, Research and Social Justice Department.
What causes homelessness?
Homelessness is not a choice. It affects people from all demographics and all walks of life. There are risk factors as to why a person could become homeless, however, these are not causes of homelessness. The risk factors lead to homelessness due to inadequate social or structural support.
Some of the risk factors that may heighten a person’s vulnerability to homelessness include:
- Trauma such as family violence or loss of a loved one
- A family breakdown
- Childhood trauma including abuse or neglect
- Experiences of war, violence or persecution
- Mental illness
- Injury, illness or disability
- Alcohol or drug use
- Time spent in out-of-home care or prison
- Job loss
If a person experiences one or more of the above, they are more likely to become homeless because of:
- A lack of affordable housing
- A lack of social (government subsidised) housing
- Income inequality
- Inadequate government support payments to manage rising costs of living
- Unbalanced job market, making it difficult to find work that covers the cost of living
Explore more about other homelessness statistics this Homelessness Week through the links below.
The most common main reason people sought assistance from Specialist Homelessness Services in 2021-22 was family and domestic violence (27 per cent). This was followed by housing crisis (20 per cent). (Source: AIHW, SHS Annual Report Data, 2021-22)
Better structural support for people experiencing one or more of these two crises would prevent homelessness for many people.
Learn how to end homelessness