Everyone needs a place to call home – somewhere to feel safe, secure and nurtured. FutureSteps is grounded in this belief.

Yet for many Australians this is not the case and housing stress is now one of Australia’s largest social issues. Many are homeless and even more are vulnerable through family breakdown, mental illness, addiction, injury and illness, unemployment and debt. And many more are impacted by housing stress simply through the lack of housing affordability. The reasons for homelessness are as varied as they are complex.

What is homelessness?

Homelessness is not just sleeping rough which accounts for only 7% of people considered to be homeless (Census 2016). A person is considered homeless if their current living arrangement is within a dwelling that is inadequate; has no tenure, or if their initial tenure is short and not extendable; or does not allow them to have control of and access to social spaces. This includes staying at refuges or transitional housing, rough sleeping and makeshift tents, couch surfing and other temporary arrangements, sleeping in a car, or overcrowded housing.