Key Points
- Mission Australia report finds a 26 per cent increase in demand for homelessness services over the last three years.
- Charity urges government action amid severe housing crisis.
- The number of people sleeping rough in tents or improvised homes surged by 103 per cent from 2020 to 2022.
The number of people accessing emergency accommodation or living on the streets or in cars has surged, a report into homelessness across Australia shows.
A Safe Place to Call Home, Mission Australia's Homelessness and Stable Housing Impact Report 2023 was released on Tuesday, finding a 26 per cent increase in demand for homelessness services over the last three years.
Soaring rents, a shortage of affordable housing and a slowing construction sector have resulted in demand for help to find somewhere to live jump to levels never seen before.
The report used information gathered from 63 of the charity's homelessness and housing support services over three years.
Mission Australia's chief executive Sharon Callister said there's been a 50 per cent jump in people seeking help after they have become homeless, instead of when they are at risk.
The charity is calling on governments at state and federal level to act, in the face of the worst housing crisis the country has seen.
"Without a significant boost of social and affordable housing across the country, homelessness cannot be eradicated," Ms Callister said.
"Mission Australia is calling on governments for greater investment to build the one million new social and affordable homes that will be needed over the next 20 years to ensure that everyone who seeks help is connected to a safe place to call home."
There was an 103 per cent increase in the number of people sleeping rough, in tents or in improvised homes from 2020 to 2022.
On average, 300 requests for help were turned away every day.
Ms Callister said frontline staff were reporting an "influx" of requests, and bandaid solutions won't end the crisis.
"They're telling us the housing situation is the worst they've ever seen it. Australia needs to be doing so much more to be on the front foot to prevent and end homelessness in our country."
The report highlighted the growing trend of rough sleeping as one of the biggest concerns to the charity, with more than 20 per cent of those who accessed Mission Australia's services having spent more than a year out of a stable home.
The highest number of people impacted by homelessness are women, at 57 per cent, while 27 per cent are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
