In 2001, around half of homeless people were found in capital cities. Today it's almost two-thirds.
In summary
- Analysis for The Conversation by Sharon Parkinson, Senior Research Fellow, Deb Batterham, PhD Candidate and Margaret Reynolds, Researcher, Swinburne University of Technology
Homelessness has increased greatly in Australian capital cities since 2001. Almost two-thirds of people experiencing homelessness are in these cities, with much of the growth associated with severely crowded dwellings and rough sleeping.
Homelessness in major cities, especially severe crowding, has risen disproportionately in areas with a shortage of affordable private rental housing and higher median rents. Severe crowding is also strongly associated with weak labour markets and poorer areas with a high proportion of males.
These are some of the key findings of our Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) research released today.
