StreetCount - City of Melbourne (2024)

FAQs

Where are the most homeless people in Melbourne? ›

Meanwhile, in Melbourne, the western LGA of Brimbank is the local government area with the highest level of homelessness, with 3,801 people living there the week prior to accessing housing help. It is followed by Casey (3,542 people), Wyndham (3,502 people) and the City of Melbourne (3,463 people).

Contact a housing office

If you are in immediate danger, call 000. If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness, you can get help: From your nearest crisis centre - see the Getting help page of our Services website. By calling 1800 825 955 (free call, 24 hours).

In 2019, it was estimated that we had a shortfall of 5,500 affordable homes in the City of Melbourne. By 2036, this shortfall will grow to 23,200 affordable homes. A sustained increase in the supply of new affordable rental housing is now critical.

They include factors such as poverty and the lack of affordable housing, driven by family violence, rental stress, rising living costs, gender pay gap, poor health, trauma and job insecurity.

Is homelessness increasing in Melbourne? Based on the latest release from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Estimating Homelessness from the 2021 Census, there were 122,494 people estimated to be experiencing homelessness on Census night in 2021.

As the number of homeless people grows in Melbourne's CBD, rough sleepers say a lack of safe housing is to blame for forcing more people on to the streets. A spike in rough sleepers in Melbourne's CBD has been blamed on money from a state government-funded hotel accommodation program “drying up” during the pandemic.

A good place to start is your County Department of Human or Social Services, a nearby church, social service non-profit, the library, or a food pantry.

Contact the local authority

Councils, or 'local authorities' have a duty to help people experiencing homelessness. If you or someone else is homeless, sleeping rough or facing a housing crisis, your priority should be to contact your local authority's Housing Options team to find out what help they can offer.

Every day of the year, Sacred Heart Mission assists hundreds of people who are experiencing homelessness or disadvantage to find shelter, food, care and support.

Although Melbournians consider crime and safety to be the biggest issue facing the city (46%), at an individual level, the city's high cost of living is the biggest challenge (48%). Individuals are also struggling with housing affordability (35%) and the city's traffic and travel times (34%).

What are the disadvantages of living in Melbourne? ›

What are some of the disadvantages of relocating to Melbourne? Dreary weather, the high cost of living and its remote location are some of the cons of living in Melbourne.

Cost of living, housing affordability and homelessness identified as the biggest issues facing Melbourne households. A recent survey of 1,000 Melburnians has found cost of living, housing affordability and homelessness are considered the top three issues facing Melbourne right now.

Melbourne is home of many of Australia's best-known landmarks, such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the National Gallery of Victoria and the World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building.

It's no surprise, since Melbourne is considered home to all things arts, culture, food and drink, with a booming dance scene, heaps of live music venues, and venues that stay open all night long. Take a look through our full list of the best places to go out in Melbourne for our top nightlife recommendations.

The city is traditionally home to Aboriginal, or First Nations, people of the Kulin Nation. The first migrants arrived as settlers from countries like England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. They were soon joined by migrants from China, who flocked to Melbourne during the gold rush of the 1850s.

New York and Vermont have the nation's highest homelessness rates among US states. A table showing the states (and Washington, DC) with the highest rates of homelessness per 10,000 people.

California, New York and Florida have the largest homeless populations. Across the three heavily populated states, more than 315,000 people are homeless — nearly half of the identified homeless population in the U.S.

A majority of people experiencing homelessness long-term in Australia are found in the large cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. It is estimated that on any given night approximately 116,000 people will be homeless and many more are living in insecure housing, "one step away from being homeless".