Homelessness statistics
What is Australia’s homeless population?
On Census night in 2021, statistics showed an estimated 122,494 people were experiencing homelessness — an increase of 5.2% since 2016.
However, even more people are at risk of becoming homeless due to varying circumstances. The 2024–25 annual report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on specialist homelessness services (SHS) showed almost 289,000 clients being assisted by SHS. This is an increase from the 280,100 clients in 2023–24.
If you are worried about your housing situation or are experiencing homelessness, or know someone who is, find out how we can help.
Homelessness statistics in your state
Statistics gathered by the AIHW in 2024–25 show how many people seek support for homelessness from SHS in different states and territories.
Based on the findings, New South Wales (NSW) had the lowest rate of clients receiving assistance, at 79.9 clients for every 10,000 residents. However, it did have the second-highest total number of clients in Australia, at 67,824.
In the Northern Territory (NT), although it had one of the lowest client totals, it recorded the highest client rate, at 401.9 for every 10,000 residents.
Homelessness facts: What does it mean to be ‘homeless’?
A person may be considered homeless if they don’t have secure access to adequate accommodation.
This includes people whose living arrangement meets the following criteria:
- It’s in a dwelling that’s inadequate
- The person has no tenure, or an initial tenure that’s short and unextendable
- The person doesn’t have control of, or access to, space for social relations
This may include:
- Rough sleeping, for example on park benches, in public toilets or 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
- Overcrowded housing — that is, dwellings that require four or more extra bedrooms to adequately accommodate the residents
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
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.
Out of more than 132,000 community members who were experiencing homelessness at the beginning of support from an SHS in 2024-25:
- 40,823 people were in a house, townhouse or flat either couch surfing or with no tenure
- 55,028 in a form of short-term temporary accommodation
Regardless of where people are sleeping, experiencing homelessness — or being at risk of homelessness — can leave people feeling unsafe and disconnected from their community or loved ones. It impacts mental and physical health and can make getting ahead in life almost impossible.
What causes homelessness?
Homelessness is not a choice. It affects people from all demographics and all walks of life. The causes of homelessness are numerous and complex. However, there are certain individual characteristics or life experiences that can heighten someone’s vulnerability to experiencing homelessness. These are called individual risk factors, not causes of homelessness. When combined with inadequate social or structural support, they can increase the likelihood of a person experiencing homelessness.
Source: AIHW
The more individual risk factors for a person, the closer they move to the centre of the circle where their risk of homelessness increases.
There are several factors that contribute to the Australian housing crisis and subsequent housing stress and insecurity, which can be understood as drivers of homelessness.
They include:
- An increased cost of living and associated financial stress
- A lack of affordable housing options
- Long-term unemployment
- Poverty
Source: AIHW
There are also individual experiences that can increase a person’s risk of becoming homeless.
They include:
- Mental health conditions
- Family and domestic violence
- Trauma
- Substance misuse
Source: AIHW
| In 2024–25, domestic and family violence was the most common main reason for people seeking support from SHS (27%). |
Additionally, the data shows that certain groups of people are at higher risk of homelessness:
- Females
- Single parents or living alone
- People of either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander identity, or both
- People with mental illnesses
Source: AIHW
Amidst the housing crisis, SHS have seen an increase in adult clients citing “housing affordability stress” as their main reason for seeking support — 9.1% of clients in 2024–25 compared to 4.9% in 2014–15. Additionally, “financial difficulties” was the second most common reason for SHS clients seeking assistance in 2024–25. This may reflect broader cost-of-living pressures in Australia.
Housing and financial stress seen in Salvation Army research
Stress around the cost of living is widespread in Australia right now. In recent research conducted by The Salvation Army among more than 500 people, almost all respondents noted their concern (very or somewhat) about the cost of living (95.92%).
The research also showed:
Source: The Salvation Army, internal research, June 2026
Additionally, The Salvation Army is seeing increasing challenges among people accessing our Emergency Relief centres — known as Doorways — for urgent material aid and ongoing casework. While many people are not experiencing homelessness when they first come to Doorways, they are at increased risk due to broader social pressures in Australia as well as their individual circumstances.
As part of a study of more than 4400 community members who had received emergency relief assistance over a 12-month period, The Salvation Army saw how many people are struggling with living expenses and therefore housing stress. The report, ‘Falling Short’ identified:
“We’ve had to give up almost everything just to keep a roof over our heads. We no longer have internet, we barely make phone bill payments, and we’re living without any savings at all. We cut back on everything, including food, essentials, and medical treatment. The cost of living has left us both constantly anxious about the future. It feels like we’re barely hanging on."
– 31-year-old woman from Victoria
Source: Russell, C., & Verrelli, S. (2026). The Red Shield Report 2026: Falling short. The Salvation Army Australia.
Explore more homelessness statistics this Homelessness Week
We believe in good for people’s lives — it is our motivation for ending homelessness
Experiencing homelessness, or being at risk of it, can adversely impact people’s health outcomes in a variety of ways. Research by the AIHW found that homelessness can contribute to chronic mental and physical health issues as well as nutritional deficiencies and an increased risk of injury. Reduced access to healthcare services can also make it harder for people to manage their health conditions.
Do you need support with your mental health?
In an emergency, call 000
Lifeline — 24/7 crisis and suicide support — 13 11 14
Beyond Blue – 24/7 online and phone support and counselling
On the positive side, evidence shows that a person’s health can improve when they move into secure housing after a period of insecure housing. This includes decreased rates of hospitalisation, reduced transmission of infectious diseases, improved mental health, and an overall improvement in wellbeing.
The good that can come from ending homelessness extends even further. As we stated in our 2026 Homelessness Report, a stable home can improve people’s social connections, as well as their education and employment prospects. It provides a safe place for families to thrive, and very importantly, it provides hope.
We are dedicated to delivering this good. In 2024–25, The Salvation Army assisted nearly 40,000 people through our national homelessness services. This included providing over 1.4 million meals and nearly 357,000 sessions of care.
Read about the good in Casey’s life that he received from the Salvos, and now shares with others.
These positive outcomes are why The Salvation Army is so passionate about ending homelessness for good — not just temporarily. When people have stability, good can grow in their lives.
Help us end homelessness — for good
We imagine a world where homelessness is brief, rare, and non-recurring. Currently that is not the case.
Due to a national shortage of safe and affordable housing, and other complexities associated with experiences of homelessness, in 2024–25, one in five clients (or 60,900 of them) returned to SHS support after not receiving it in the previous 12 months. Additionally, more than two-fifths of all clients (122,000 people) continued receiving support after also receiving support in 2023–24, showing the long-term support required to assist people.
We believe we can end homelessness for good — and you can help.
Actions you can take:
- Talk to your family, friends, and colleagues about homelessness — ask them how the cost-of-living or rental crisis is affecting them, what they think the drivers of homelessness are, or share some of the facts you’ve learned today
- Learn what local organisations are doing to end homelessness — Google “homelessness and housing peak body” together with your state or territory