31/08/2026
The need, the issues are the same across the world.
The challenges are the same across the world.
Charities, like the Canaan Trust, are operating 24-7, 365 doing the best they can with limited resources.
We are trying to make a difference ONE unique individual at a time.......
We need the Community's help and support.
HOW DO WE ACTUALLY SOLVE HOMELESSNESS?
Is the answer more support, or less support?
Australia's latest Census homelessness estimate found 122,494 people experiencing homelessness, including 17,646 children under 12. More recently, almost 289,000 Australians received assistance from specialist homelessness services in 2024 to 2025.
And the cost of living and housing affordability crisis is increasingly part of the picture.
In 2024 to 2025, around 104,400 people accessing homelessness services reported housing affordability stress as a reason they needed assistance. That has risen from 57,700 a decade earlier.
So what actually needs to happen?
Outreach has an important role.
Outreach services meet people where they are. They provide food, water, tents, medical care, hygiene products, referrals and human connection. Good outreach can identify deteriorating health, mental health concerns, addiction, family violence and other vulnerabilities and connect people with professional services.
Most importantly, outreach builds trust.
For somebody who has disengaged from mainstream services, that relationship can eventually become the bridge back into healthcare, treatment, support and housing.
But outreach cannot solve homelessness on its own.
We can provide a tent. We cannot create an affordable rental.
We can provide a meal. We cannot build social housing.
That requires government.
And responsibility needs to exist across all three levels of government.
The Federal Government has a major role in income support, national housing investment, funding agreements, taxation settings and policies affecting housing supply and affordability.
State and Territory Governments have major responsibilities for social housing, homelessness services, health, mental health, hospitals, child protection and many of the services people need to exit homelessness.
Local Governments deal with what is happening on the ground in communities. Public spaces, sanitation, waste, amenities, local planning and the practical management of places where rough sleeping occurs all matter.
None of those levels can solve homelessness alone.
And neither can charities.
Food, tents, sleeping bags and outreach keep people alive and reduce harm while they are homeless. They should never be confused with the solution itself.
We need significantly more social and genuinely affordable housing. We need prevention before people lose their homes. We need appropriate crisis accommodation. We need accessible mental health, addiction, family violence, disability and health services. And for people experiencing chronic and complex homelessness, evidence supports approaches such as Housing First, where stable housing is provided alongside the support needed to maintain it.
There is also a powerful argument for investing earlier.
In 2024 to 2025, around 31% of people who needed short term or emergency accommodation through specialist homelessness services did not have that need met.
So is the answer more support or less support?
Neither, if we are talking about doing more of exactly the same thing.
The answer is better support, earlier intervention, greater housing supply, genuine pathways out and governments accepting responsibility alongside the community sector.
Taking away food, tents or outreach doesn't create housing.
But handing someone a tent year after year isn't ending their homelessness either.
The goal shouldn't be managing homelessness.
The goal should be preventing it wherever possible, and providing a realistic pathway out when it happens.
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.
Beau.
Nourish Street Inc
