Australia’s disappearing people: Leading advocate shines grim light on truth about homelessness

A leading homelessness advocate has shed light on the dire reality facing Australia’s vulnerable class of “disappeared people” as distressed camps are cleared and affordable public housing demolished across the country.

With more than 122,000 people a year experiencing homelessness, advocacy groups are imploring the federal government to plug the multimillion-dollar shortfall for front-line services and rehousing projects to reduce rates that have skyrocketed to “the worst in living memory.”

The scenario for Australians exhibiting homelessness is exacerbated by an increase in the number of rough sleepers and “hidden” forms of homelessness such as sleeping in cars and sofa surfing, with the Productivity Commission reporting a 25 per cent increase in “persistent” homelessness.

“Persistent” homelessness is defined by individuals experiencing homelessness for more than seven months in a 24-month period.

But as local councils crack down on so-called tent cities and scores of public housing towers are marked for demolition, one important question is on everyone’s lips: Where are they going?

Alarming figures as rough sleepers are pushed to the brink

Homelessness Australia chief executive Kate Colvin is starting to see the consequences of public pressure as frontline services provide dire updates on the ground.

“Frontline services are telling us that people are moving into situations that are less safe for them, which could be returning to a violent home, often to a room in a hostel where violence is very high, or sleeping rough in another location where they are more hidden,” Ms Colvin told NewsWire.

“(They) may be more vulnerable to being attacked if they are sleeping in a well-lit area with CCTV cameras and other people around.”

Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals around 280,100 people were helped by specialist homeless organizations in 2023-24 alone.

This marks a large jump from the 236,000 reported in 2011-12, or an average annual increase of 1.4 percent.

More people (37,800) were experiencing persistent homelessness, compared to 29,500 in 2018-19; particularly among those under 25 years of age (18,100) and women and children affected by domestic and family violence (15,700).

Ms Colvin said the number of women and girls who were already homeless when they contacted homelessness services increased by 20 per cent per month between May 2022 and March 2025 (from 24,517 to 29,449).

“This is particularly worrying given that 45 per cent of women and girls seeking homelessness support have experienced domestic and family violence,” he said.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard stories of single-parent families sleeping in the car or couch surfing with the family until it became undoable.

“Can you imagine quitting a job on the go, making sure your kids stay in school, visiting countless open houses for inspections, and trying to take care of your own health and well-being?”

The grim figures follow ugly scenes earlier in the year as governments and local councils began their own crackdowns against rough sleepers.

In Queensland, the City of Moreton Bay council made camping on public land illegal, citing public safety concerns over drug and alcohol use and anti-social behavior concerns, citing “increased aggression towards public space users and council staff”.

Following the announcement, some rough sleeper camps in the region were removed.

“The City of Moreton Bay recognizes what a complex problem homelessness is, and we recognize that this change will not be welcomed by everyone,” CEO Scott Waters said in a statement in February.

“The health and safety of people experiencing homelessness underpin this change, and repealing the framework will ensure these individuals receive the critical support they need.”

The council has published its own Housing and Homelessness Action Plan, which outlines referral services; It issued a $50,000 pledge for the Redcliffe Sleep Bus for safe sleeping facilities and another $3.36 million pledge for the construction of the Redcliffe Homelessness Center followed by pepper renting to non-profit tenants.

However, on its website, under the heading “Response to homelessness”, the council specifically states: “The City of Moreton Bay does not provide housing to people experiencing homelessness.”

Similar scenes broke out in Brisbane in March after the city council gave rough sleepers 24 hours to move as part of a crackdown on allegations of similar anti-social behaviour.

In Victoria, 44 public housing towers across Melbourne are scheduled to be demolished by 2051 as part of Homes Victoria’s high-rise redevelopment.

A parliamentary inquiry into the redevelopment was told that one in five households already displaced under the scheme had been placed on the private market.

Ms Colvin said she feared more low-income households could be plunged into financial and housing hardship if the situation is not “taken under control”.

“Thousands and thousands of families will be homeless this Christmas,” he said.

“While other families prepare for summer holidays, our frontline services will turn away tens of thousands of people. Women and children are sleeping rough in cars and on sofas, and people are being pushed out of their communities because they can’t afford to live there.”

“The reality facing so many working families in this country is downright scary.”

‘Urgent action’ as financial needs cannot be met

The federal government has announced steps to tackle homelessness with a series of reforms under the National Housing and Homelessness Plan.

Part of this includes a 10 per cent increase in maximum rental assistance rates, another $10 billion to the Housing Australia Future Fund for 30,000 new affordable homes and a contribution of $350 million over five years for another 10,000 affordable homes, according to the Treasury statement.

National housing agency Housing Australia will also receive an extra $2 billion increase to its liability cap to provide more loans to providers and support a further 7,000 homes.

Ms. Colvin said these were all positive steps, but still said the federal government’s overall response was “absolutely” not enough.

He said the government needed to address the $671 million unfunded for front-line services and rehousing to ensure vulnerable people were not turned away.

“We ultimately need more housing and support to prevent people becoming homeless, but more and more people are already in a precarious situation right now, so we need to fund the safety net for those people,” Ms Colvin said.

Every night, 122,000 Australians have no safe place to call home, but the majority of homeless people remain unseen. A Home For All Foundation sees the real estate industry taking action to help find a home for every Australian.

“The reality is that more people are being left behind, and rising homelessness is ultimately damaging this country economically as well as perpetuating the misery of the most vulnerable among us.

“We need governments to do much more, and we need urgent action.”