Australia’s Homelessness Crisis: A National Emergency Ignored, By Mrs. Vera West and James Reed

One in ten Australians are a single setback, a rent hike, medical bill, or car breakdown, away from losing their homes, according to Orange Sky's research. This staggering statistic, coupled with over 122,000 people already experiencing homelessness, paints a picture of a national crisis as dire as any war. Yet, the Albanese government's response is to double down on mass immigration, exacerbating housing pressures while ignoring the plight of everyday Australians. If homelessness is a hidden emergency affecting families, retirees, students, and workers, why is the government treating it as an afterthought?

Homelessness in Australia isn't just rough sleepers in parks, who make up only 6% of the 122,000 homeless, per Orange Sky's findings. The majority are invisible: families couch-surfing, students sleeping in cars, or retirees shuffling between temporary shelters. These aren't isolated cases but a growing epidemic driven by a housing market stretched to breaking. Rents have soared, up 60% from COVID lows in some areas, while home prices have climbed 70% over the past decade, far outpacing incomes. The Australian Bureau of Statistics notes a national dwelling shortfall of over 1.3 million units, with only 3,000 social housing units built annually against a need for 45,000.

Lucas Patchett, Orange Sky's co-founder, highlights the human toll: young families, working people, and uni. students are all at risk. His charity's 350 weekly shifts across 50 communities see a 13% weekly increase in first-time users, signalling a crisis accelerating in real time. Yet, public perception lags, only one in ten Australians can accurately define homelessness, and half cling to outdated stereotypes of rough sleepers. This disconnect, Patchett argues, stifles empathy and blocks policy solutions. When people don't see themselves in the narrative, they don't seek help, and the government can dodge accountability.

The Albanese government's migration policy is pouring fuel on this crisis. Net overseas migration hit 535,000 in 2022-23 and 435,000 in 2023-24, double the pre-COVID average of 200,000. Treasury projects 335,000 for 2024-25, still far above sustainable levels. The government promised a return to 250,000 annually but is on track for 550,000 this year, per the Institute of Public Affairs. Over 80% of migrants settle in capital cities, where housing is already scarce. The Grattan Institute estimates that every 100,000 unexpected migrants pushes rents up 1%, and cutting migration to 160,000 could lower rents by 6% over a decade.

While migrants aren't the sole driver of the housing crisis, negative gearing, capital gains tax discounts, and zoning laws play major roles, the sheer volume of arrivals strains an already broken system. During COVID, when borders closed and migration plummeted, house prices still rose 25% in just over a year, proving other factors are at play. But adding 1.3 million people in three years, as Treasury data shows, while building only 30,000 affordable homes over five years, is a recipe for disaster. The Albanese government's refusal to adjust migration targets, despite a 650,000-home shortfall, suggests a disconnect from the lived reality of Australians.

If one in ten Australians, over 2.7 million people, fear homelessness, this is a national emergency on par with a war. Homelessness services report a 7.5% demand surge in just four months, with Queensland, Western Australia, and New South Wales seeing double-digit increases. Women and children make up 74% of those seeking help, yet services face a $450 million funding shortfall. The economic toll is compounded by a per capita GDP decline for six straight quarters, driven partly by unplanned migration that chooses population growth over productivity. Australians are $7,848 worse off annually, with living standards at their lowest since the COVID peak.

A war devastates lives, disrupts economies, and erodes social cohesion. Australia's housing crisis does the same. Families are split, communities strained, and trust in institutions eroded as people like Jett Greenhalgh, living in a bus on Jobseeker payments, are forced to sell everything to survive. The government's response, doubling down on migration while offering token housing initiatives like the 30,000-home Housing Australia Future Fund, falls woefully short. Meanwhile, policies like negative gearing and capital gains tax breaks continue to inflate prices, favouring investors over first-time buyers.

The Grattan Institute admits that reducing migration could ease rents, and 71% of Australians believe current migration levels make housing harder for young people. The government's failure to pair migration with adequate housing supply, building only 3,000 social homes annually against a 45,000 need, undermines claims of "sustainability."

If Albanese viewed this as a war, he'd mobilise resources with urgency. Instead of token gestures, we need a massive increase in social housing, 25,000 units annually, as Everybody's Home demands. End no-grounds evictions, cap rent increases, and reform tax policies that incentivise property speculation. Migration must be recalibrated to pre-COVID levels, around 100,000 annually, until infrastructure catches up. Orange Sky's work, providing laundry and showers to 13% new users weekly, shows the human cost of inaction. This isn't just a policy failure; it's a betrayal of Australians teetering on the edge.

The government's inertia, prioritising migration over citizens' stability, mirrors a general ignoring the front lines. One in ten Australians shouldn't live in fear of homelessness. If this isn't a national crisis, what is?

https://www.realestate.com.au/news/one-in-ten-aussies-on-the-cusp-of-losing-their-home/