Homelessness is a health crisis — and urgent action is needed now

During Homelessness Week 2026, Homeless Healthcare is calling for urgent action to recognise homelessness as a major health crisis — and to invest in the housing, healthcare and support people need to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. 

Across Australia, homelessness is worsening. In 2024–25, almost 289,000 people were assisted by specialist homelessness services, while around 129,000 requests for help went unanswered because services lacked capacity. More people are already homeless when they first seek support, rough sleeping is increasing, and services are responding to increasingly complex health, housing and social needs. 

For people experiencing homelessness, poor health and lack of housing are deeply connected. Without a safe place to sleep, recover from illness, store medication, attend appointments or manage chronic conditions, health problems can quickly escalate. People sleeping rough are particularly exposed to injury, infection, trauma, mental distress and preventable hospitalisation. 

The consequences are devastating. People with a history of specialist homelessness service support have a death rate 1.8 times higher than the general population and a median age at death of just 55 years. People with a history of rough sleeping die around a decade younger again. One in 20 suicides and one in six accidental poisonings in Australia involve people who have been recently homeless. 

These are preventable deaths. They reflect poverty, trauma, exclusion from mainstream healthcare, and a housing system that leaves too many people without the stability needed to recover and stay well. 

Homeless Healthcare provides accessible, trauma-informed primary healthcare to people experiencing homelessness and marginal housing. Our services meet people where they are — on the street, in drop-in centres, in hospital, in respite and as they move toward housing. This care helps prevent health crises, supports recovery, reduces pressure on hospitals and reconnects people with ongoing care. 

But healthcare alone cannot end homelessness. Safe, stable housing is one of the most powerful health interventions available. Housing First supportive housing, combined with accessible healthcare and wraparound support, can break the cycle of homelessness, poor health and hospitalisation. 

This Homelessness Week, we are asking the community, funders and decision-makers to act now: invest in more social and affordable housing, strengthen homelessness services, expand health outreach, and ensure people experiencing homelessness can access the healthcare and support they need. 

Homelessness is not inevitable. With the right housing, healthcare and support, people can recover, reconnect and rebuild their lives. 

Support Homeless Healthcare this Homelessness Week. Help us provide healthcare to people experiencing homelessness and advocate for the housing and support needed to end the cycle of homelessness and poor health.