Homelessness

Housing and home

Homelessness

Not having adequate, stable housing makes it difficult to participate in society, and is associated with negative personal and social outcomes across a broad range of wellbeing domains.

People sleeping rough

This measure shows the rate of people sleeping rough in the ACT per 10,000 people. People experiencing homelessness are some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Sleeping rough, in tents, cars or improvised dwellings can put people at greater risk of poor wellbeing.

The rate of people sleeping rough in the ACT (1.3 per 10,000) is lower than the national rate (3 per 10,000). It is also the second lowest rate among all states and territories.

The ACT rate from the 2021 census has improved slightly since the previous rate of 1.4 per 10,000 in 2016.

ABS, Census of Population and Housing: Estimating Homelessness.

Line graph of the rate of people sleeping rough in the ACT per 10,000 residents, in 5-year intervals from 2011 to 2021. In 2021, 1.3 residents per 10,000 residents slept rough compared to 1.4 in 2016.

The census is the only published data source for estimates of the prevalence of homelessness across all types of homelessness, including people sleeping rough.

The ACT Government is working with the community sector to estimate the number of people sleeping rough to respond to service needs.

Rough sleeping refers to people who live on the streets and who sleep in places that are not designed to be slept in (for example building doorways, bus-shelters, parks, under-passes, cars and carparks etc).