Perceptions of Homelessness

A national survey conducted for Launch Housing has found that Australians are concerned about homelessness and worried about meeting housing and living costs. They are also worried about their children’s ability to afford housing, a finding that reflects growing concern about rising property prices and declining rental affordability across many parts of Australia.

Survey participants believe that governments should do more to end homelessness. State and federal governments were identified as having primary responsibility for ending homelessness, ahead of homeless people themselves, local governments and local communities.

When survey participants were asked if the government was doing enough to address homelessness, only 14% agreed. By contrast, 57% disagreed with this view. A lack of affordable housing is a leading cause of homelessness. Nearly two-thirds survey participants believe that more people are at risk of homelessness today than in the past. This view is backed by Census data, which shows that homelessness grew by 17% from 2006 to 2011.

While Australians are concerned about homelessness, the survey found that many people believe drug addiction, family violence, mental illness and alcohol use are the key reasons why people experience homelessness. With the exception of family violence, the reality is quite different: data collected by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows the shortage of affordable housing and family violence are the leading causes of homelessness in Australia.

There is also a misconception about how long people remain homeless for. Only 13% of survey participants believe that homelessness is normally for short periods in people’s lives, while 44% disagreed with this view. Again, the reality is different: 26% of people who seek assistance from a specialist homelessness service only require support for up to five days. A further 31% require support for between six and 45 days, while just 14% require assistance for six months or longer.

Read the full report here: Perceptions of Homelessness PDF