MEDIA RELEASE
Working family homelessness fuelling productivity crisis: new data
Homelessness Australia is issuing a stark warning to the federal government about a surge in families losing their homes, and the serious threat it poses to national productivity ahead of the Federal Government’s upcoming roundtable.
The new snapshot, Raising the Alarm: Australia’s Family Homelessness Emergency, shows almost five thousand extra people in families with children turned to homelessness services for help over a two year period, a five per cent spike.
The fresh analysis being launched today as part of this year’s Homelessness Week found 92,476 people in families with children received help from a homelessness service provider in 2023-24, an increase of 4,654 in the two years since 2021-22.
“How can you hold down a job, contribute to the economy and keep your family safe and healthy when you don’t have a safe and stable home? This is a massive threat to productivity in Australia, and this data shows it’s getting worse,” Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin said.
“We have a growing number of children and families moving from couch to couch, or sleeping in cars and tents, looking for the next safe place. This means parents miss work, and can slip into unemployment, children disengage from school, and the health costs associated with homelessness spiral,” Kate Colvin said.
“While the increase in homeless parents undermines productivity today, the growing number of children growing up without a safe stable home, and unable to fully engage in education and maintain good health, poses an enormous problem for productivity in the future.
Key findings:
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Families are slipping over the edge faster. The number of parents and children using homelessness services jumped 5 % in just two years, while those already homeless when they asked for help leapt 11 %.
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The crisis is huge, yet still growing. In 2023‑24, 92,476 people in families sought help; almost half (39,000) had already lost their housing.
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Services are overstretched. Even after getting support, 32,451 family members were still homeless, which is up 7%.
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Homelessness hurts productivity by disrupting work and study, driving up health‑care costs, and reducing children’s future labour‑force participation.
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The share of homelessness service clients with a waged income has climbed from 10.5 % to 12.1 % in two years.
“As the Federal Government looks for ways to boost productivity in Australia, it’s clear that fixing our homelessness emergency is one of the best ways to get a great return on investment for taxpayers.
“Being homeless costs a lot of money, and makes it harder for everyday Australians to contribute to their communities, but there are clear actions we can take to end homelessness, while also boosting the economy. It’s a no-brainer,” Kate Colvin said.
The homelessness sector is calling on the federal government to make homelessness its top priority this term and to take action, including:
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A National Housing and Homelessness Plan with clear targets, timelines and accountability to drive down homelessness
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New investment in homelessness services to deliver more support to prevent homelessness and Housing First programs, in partnership with the states
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Increased investment in social housing to achieve a 10% share of all homes, and increased income support so people can afford to rent
Media contact: Kathleen Ferguson - 0421 522 080