More than 122,000 people in Australia experienced homelessness on Census night, an increase of 5.2% from 2016, according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Georgia Chapman, ABS head of homelessness statistics, says this represents 48 people experiencing homelessness for every 10,000 people, compared with 50 people for every 10,000 in 2016.
“The 2021 Census gives us a unique snapshot of people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 throughout 2021 contributed to some of the changes in the homelessness data that we’ve released today.
“During the 2021 Census, we saw fewer people ‘sleeping rough’ in improvised dwellings, tents or sleeping out, and fewer people in living in ‘severely’ crowded dwellings and staying temporarily with other households.
“However, we saw more people living in supported accommodation for the homeless, boarding houses and other temporary lodgings, such as a hotel or motel,” Ms Chapman says.