Homelessness Week 2026: Advocacy and action for housing justice
Across the country, Australians are experiencing an extended dual cost-of-living and housing crisis.
As a major provider of housing and homelessness support services, we are a strong advocate for people who are struggling to access safe, suitable, affordable accommodation.
In fact, every 17 seconds, The Salvation Army provides relief to an Australian in need.
We understand that homelessness and housing stress are often outcomes of other forms of disadvantage and can perpetuate cycles of disadvantage.
Advocating to end homelessness
We work tirelessly on behalf of our community. We take every opportunity to draw attention to the real and human impacts of this crisis, which is worsened by current cost-of-living pressures on individuals, families and communities.
We will continue to fight for justice alongside and on behalf of the people we support — calling for Australian governments to act.
We believe the best way to solve the housing crisis and end homelessness for good is by tackling the root causes of homelessness and poverty. We need homelessness action now.
We urge all governments to:
- Increase and expand the supply of community and affordable housing; and
- Meet the needs of community members who are at risk of or already experiencing homelessness
Additionally, we urge the Commonwealth Government to:
- Strengthen the Homes for Australia: A National Plan by adopting a comprehensive, multidimensional approach that incorporates clear and measurable targets, stronger integration across government, research, service delivery, and community stakeholders, and robust, transparent mechanisms to monitor and report on progress
- Increase investment in social and affordable housing, expand funding for housing support services, and improve income support payments and supplements to better meet community needs and ensure people can afford to live with dignity
Join our homelessness advocacy
A significant element of The Salvation Army’s advocacy is providing written submissions and appearing as witnesses as part of government inquiries and other consultations.
Central to the content and credibility of our submissions for increasing affordable housing and housing support is collecting client, community and frontline service delivery experience to inform the narrative of these. The voices of those we serve and the people who provide services and walk alongside community members remain as critical evidence and provide ‘real-life’ stories to the arguments that we present.
Last year, we called for verbatim responses from the community to help inform our submissions.
Here are some of the experiences and thoughts people shared:
“The Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed in 1948. According to this document, all humans have the right to an adequate standard of living, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care. Australia is a resource-rich, first-world country; it should be a national disgrace that people are living below the poverty line and without adequate or consistent housing. There is no good reason for people who want and need a home to not have one.”
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“It concerns me to see my brothers and sisters in such difficult living conditions, oftentimes in the same neighbourhood or suburb as lavish houses and high-cost living. It’s as if the gap between the rich and poor widens every day. Every person deserves to have dignity and self-determination. Often, people are becoming unhoused due to circumstances out of their control, a product of the society we’re currently living in. Australia is a good country. There must be more we can do to assist those in need. When we lift one - we lift all.”
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“I have four female friends in their 30s, 40s and 50s whom have all ended up homeless in the past few years. None of these women are substance users and have ended up homeless sure (sic.) to lack of affordable housing and the 30% rule. Two have had to leave violent relationships with children and been unable to find accommodation. Both have gone back to these relationships due to inability to find accommodation.”
Share your thoughts on homelessness with us to inform our advocacy responses in 2027