Homelessness in Australia is a social issue concerning the number of people in Australia that are considered to be homeless. There are no internationally agreed upon definitions of homelessness, making it difficult to compare levels of homelessness across countries.[1] A majority of people experiencing homelessness long-term in Australia are found in the large cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. It is estimated that on any given night approximately 116,000 people will be homeless[2] and many more are living in insecure housing, "one step away from being homeless".[3] A person who does not obtain any shelter is often described as sleeping 'rough'.
A person is considered to be homeless in Australia if they:
- do not have access to safe, secure adequate housing, or, if the only housing they have access to damages, or is likely to damage, their health.
- are in circumstances which threaten or adversely affect the adequacy, safety, security, or affordability of their home.
- have no security of tenure – that is, they have no legal right to continued occupation of their living area.
Many homeless people in the central business districts (CBDs) of major cities have become beggars.
- ^ "Homelessness, the homeless, and integrated social services". Integrating Social Services for Vulnerable Groups. 2015. pp. 111–164. doi:10.1787/9789264233775-7-en. ISBN 9789264233768.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (14 March 2018). "MEDIA RELEASE: Census reveals a rise in the rate of homelessness in Australia". 2049.0 – Census of Population and Housing: Estimating homelessness, 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "#HomelessnessCounts during Homelessness Week 2016, 1–7 August". Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.