By Samantha Ace, Development Director, MakeSpace - a housing advisory and project delivery for community, affordable and specialised housing providers

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In 2024–25, specialist homelessness services in Australia assisted almost 289,000 people, with family and domestic violence the largest single circumstance affecting clients. Homelessness affects people across all walks of life, driven by a combination of housing supply shortfalls, rental affordability pressure, and circumstances such as family violence, illness, or job loss that can affect almost anyone. Understanding the scale of the challenge, who it affects most, and what is being done about it is the starting point for any meaningful conversation about how to respond.

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How many people experience homelessness in Australia?

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 122,000 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness on Census night in 2021. The rate has shifted over time rather than rising in a straight line: it peaked at 49.8 per 10,000 in 2016 before easing slightly to 48.2 per 10,000 in 2021.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2024–25 shows specialist homelessness services assisted almost 289,000 people in that year, up from 236,000 in 2011–12, an average annual increase of 1.6%. A further 129,000 requests for support went unassisted in 2024–25, up from 110,000 the year before, most often because no accommodation was available at the time.

These figures, while substantial, do not capture the full picture. Census data is collected once every five years, and SHS data only includes people who sought support from a funded service. Research from the 2014 ABS General Social Survey, still the most recent reliable estimate available, suggests approximately 67% of people who experienced homelessness in the past decade did not seek formal assistance during their most recent episode. This is part of why "hidden homelessness," covered below, matters as its own distinct concept.

In 2024–25, the need for short-term or emergency accommodation went unmet for around 1 in 3 (31%) people receiving support from a specialist homelessness service, most often because no accommodation was available. - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2024–25

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Who is most affected by homelessness in Australia?

Family and domestic violence is the largest single circumstance among people seeking specialist homelessness support, affecting over 40% of all SHS clients in 2024–25. Separately, when clients are asked their main reason for seeking help on a given occasion, family and domestic violence is cited by 27% of clients, the most common single reason recorded.

Women make up the majority of people accessing specialist homelessness services: 60%, or around 174,000 people, in 2024–25. Age data shows 27% of clients were under 18 and 36% were aged 25–44, reflecting that homelessness affects people across the age spectrum, including young people and families. Older Australians also access services in meaningful numbers, and AIHW notes that older clients are one of the fastest-growing groups in the system, alongside First Nations clients.

Mental health is a significant factor: around 1 in 3 SHS clients (88,800 people) in 2024–25 were experiencing a current mental health issue, the second-largest client group after those affected by family violence, and growing at nearly four times the rate of the overall client base since 2011.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 8.8 times more likely to experience homelessness than non-Indigenous Australians, according to Homelessness Australia's analysis of AIHW data. First Nations people made up 29% of all SHS clients in 2024–25, a significant overrepresentation given their share of the national population. Rates of service use vary considerably by location: the Northern Territory recorded the highest rate of SHS clients nationally (401.9 per 10,000 population), followed by Victoria (151.2) and Tasmania (110.0).

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What is “hidden homelessness” and why does it matter?

Hidden homelessness refers to people without secure, stable housing who are not visible in the most commonly cited statistics. It includes people staying temporarily with family or friends, those in severely overcrowded dwellings, and people without another safe housing option who are not sleeping rough or in a shelter.

The ABS Census captures several categories beyond visible rough sleeping, including severely crowded dwellings and supported accommodation. As noted above, approximately two-thirds of people who experienced homelessness in the past decade did not seek formal support during their most recent episode, meaning the true scale of hidden homelessness is difficult to quantify with precision but understood to be significant.

This matters for service design and funding. People experiencing hidden homelessness are less likely to be captured in service data, which can understate the true scale of housing need and complicate planning decisions at every level of government.

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Why is social and affordable housing supply central to addressing homelessness?

Housing supply is one of the structural drivers behind homelessness in Australia, alongside family violence, mental health, and financial hardship. According to the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council's State of the Housing System 2025, public housing waitlists remained close to record-high levels at 169,000 households, with the number of households on the greatest-need waitlist also reaching a new record.

The National Housing Accord targets 1.2 million new well-located homes by 2029. Current projections forecast approximately 938,000 dwellings will be completed in that period, a shortfall of around 262,000 homes against the target. In 2024, only 2,600 new public dwellings were completed nationally, against the scale of need reflected in waitlist figures.

Rental affordability adds further pressure. Around 20% of lower-income renters spent more than half their income on rent in 2023, a level of housing cost stress closely associated with both entry into homelessness and difficulty exiting it once support has been provided.

For a closer look at how Australia's housing system is structured and who holds responsibility for affordability outcomes, our blog on who is responsible for housing affordability in Australia covers this in detail.

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What is being done to address homelessness in Australia?

The National Housing and Homelessness Agreement between federal and state and territory governments funds specialist homelessness services nationally, supporting the approximately 1,800 SHS agencies that provided assistance in 2024–25.

The Housing Australia Future Fund supports social and affordable housing nationally, including dedicated programs for crisis and transitional accommodation.

Our blog on funding crisis and transitional accommodation in Australia sets out how these programs work for community housing providers and not-for-profit organisations building new supply.

In August 2023, all states, territories, and the Commonwealth agreed to the National Planning Reform Blueprint, a coordinated approach to streamlining planning and zoning processes to support new housing supply. State-level programs add further capacity: Victoria's Big Housing Build, for example, targets more than 12,000 new social and affordable homes. Federal build-to-rent tax incentives, which require eligible developments to include at least 10% affordable housing, are expected to support construction of around 80,000 new rental homes over the next decade, according to the Property Council of Australia.

These measures represent a genuine and growing response. They have not yet closed the gap. The NHSAC's own modelling shows current trajectories falling short of the Housing Accord target, even with these programs in place.

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How MakeSpace contributes to housing outcomes for people experiencing homelessness

MakeSpace’s role sits within the housing supply system: supporting community housing providers, not-for-profit housing organisations, and government housing authorities to plan and build social housing, affordable housing, and crisis and transitional accommodation projects.

The housing supply gap identified by the NHSAC is one of the structural drivers of homelessness in Australia. Organisations that help community housing providers and government agencies get more social and affordable housing built, more reliably, contribute to closing that gap over time. That is the contribution MakeSpace is positioned to make: supporting the organisations doing this work from early feasibility through to handover.

For more on a specific part of the housing system that responds directly to people in immediate need, our blog on crisis accommodation in Australia covers what crisis and transitional accommodation is, who it serves, and how it is built.

If your organisation is planning or developing social, affordable, or crisis accommodation and would like to talk through the project considerations, get in touch.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How is homelessness defined in Australia?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines homelessness as the lack of one or more elements that represent a home, including safety and security of tenure, the ability to control living space, and access to adequate facilities. This includes people sleeping rough, those in severely overcrowded dwellings, people in supported accommodation, and those staying temporarily with others due to a lack of alternatives. The Specialist Homelessness Services Collection uses a related but distinct definition based on dwelling type, tenure, and conditions of occupancy, capturing people who seek support from government-funded homelessness services.

Are First Nations Australians more likely to experience homelessness?

Yes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 8.8 times more likely to experience homelessness than non-Indigenous Australians, according to Homelessness Australia's analysis of AIHW data. First Nations people made up 29% of all specialist homelessness services clients in 2024–25, despite representing a much smaller proportion of the national population. This significant overrepresentation reflects a combination of structural disadvantage, intergenerational impacts of past government policies, and barriers to housing and economic security that continue to affect First Nations communities disproportionately.

What is hidden homelessness?

Hidden homelessness refers to people without secure or stable housing who are not visible in commonly cited statistics like rough sleeping counts. It includes people staying temporarily with family or friends, those in severely overcrowded dwellings, and people without another safe housing option. Because hidden homelessness is, by definition, difficult to observe or count, the true scale is hard to quantify precisely. Research suggests a substantial proportion of people who experience homelessness do not seek formal support, meaning official statistics likely understate the full scale of housing insecurity in Australia.

What is the difference between homelessness and crisis accommodation?

Homelessness describes the experience of lacking secure, stable housing, including rough sleeping, staying temporarily with others, or living in severely overcrowded conditions. Crisis accommodation is a specific, short-term housing response designed to provide immediate safety for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, particularly those fleeing family violence. Crisis accommodation is typically followed by transitional accommodation and, where available, longer-term social or community housing. Our blog on crisis accommodation in Australia covers this part of the housing system in detail.

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Sources: AIHW — Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2024–25; AIHW — Homelessness and homelessness services; ABS — Homelessness; Homelessness Australia — National Homelessness Facts 2025; National Housing Supply and Affordability Council — State of the Housing System 2025; AHURI — Federal measures to tackle Australia's housing challenges explained

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Last updated on August 1, 2026