38% of all homeless applications are made by a single person under 25. And, if you include families with children, you find that over half (57%) of those affected by homelessness are under the age of 25 (see table below).
Age. Across both household and shelter types, nearly three-quarters of people experiencing homelessness were adults aged 25 or older (428,859 people), 18% were children under the age of 18 (106,364 children). 8% were young adults aged 18 to 24 (45,243 young adults).
While families, children, and youth are all affected, most of the people who experience homelessness are single adults.
Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples make up about 3 per cent of the Australian population. However, statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show they are overrepresented in the homeless population – making up 20 per cent of the number of people experiencing homelessness on Census night.
Ages of people currently experiencing homelessness:
Under 12 – 14% 12-18 – 8% 19-24 – 18% 25-34 – 22%
There are no internationally agreed upon definitions of homelessness, making it difficult to compare levels of homelessness across countries. A majority of people experiencing homelessness long-term in Australia are found in the large cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
People in families with children make up 30 percent of the homeless population. Unaccompanied youth (under age 25) account for six percent of the larger group.
Families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, accounting for almost 40-50% of the nation's homeless. Lack of affordable housing is a primary cause of homelessness in families; often one or both parents are working, but not making a livable wage.
Elder abuse
As people age, many rely on family members or other close relatives with decision making. Older people can be coerced into making poor decisions about property ownership, wealth, health and wellbeing, which put them at increased risk of homelessness.
Who is at risk? Youth lacking a high school diploma or GED had a 346% higher risk of homelessness than did young people who completed high school. Youth in households making less than $24,000 a year had a 162% higher risk of homelessness. Unmarried parenting youth had a 200% higher risk of homelessness.
Rates of homelessness were: substantially higher among those living in Remote and Very remote areas (6.2% or 3,600 young people) than among those living in Major cities (0.8% or 16,700), Inner regional areas (0.5% or 2,300) and Outer regional areas (0.7% or 1,500).
For the better part of a decade, the age at which people experiencing homelessness die has been a shockingly consistent average of about 50 years old across the nation. People who are homeless have roughly the same life expectancy as a resident of the United States in 1910.
Because of its high population density, the District of Columbia has a much higher rate of homelessness than any other state. In 2021, though, Vermont's sheltered homelessness rate surged to nearly 304 per 100,000 residents.
The report gauges that the odds of experiencing homeless in the course of a year are about one in 200 for the general population though the odds vary by economic circumstances. For someone at or below the poverty line, the odds fall to one in 25.
The latest data on homelessness
People rough sleeping represent just 7 percent of all people without a home in Australia.
Causes of homelessness
Domestic violence is the single biggest cause of homelessness in Australia.
For thousands of Australians, the risk of losing their home is only one pay slip away. The high cost of rental housing combined with the lack of affordable housing options, particularly for low income earners, can force many families and individuals out of their homes with no place to live.
What causes a person to become homeless? Individual factors, such as a lack of qualifications, relationship breakdown or substance abuse, can lead to homelessness as well as family background issues like disputes, sexual and physical abuse from parents or guardians or a previous experience of family homelessness.
At the same time, the homelessness rate has continued to outpace Australia's rate of population growth. The average monthly number of people using homelessness services increased by 8% to 91,300 over the past four years – double the growth rate of new households.
Childhood is a critical time, affecting our health, development, and setting the foundations for the rest of our lives. Sadly, around 19,400 children aged 0-14 are homeless in Australia.