COVID-19 and homelessness: Australia

Through state government emergency accommodation (EA) programmes enacted early in the COVID-19 pandemic, street homelessness was suddenly reduced to near zero in major Australian cities, exemplifying political and practical scope for decisive intervention on a scale previously unimaginable. By early 2021, more than 12,000 rough sleepers had benefited from such programmes. Participating state governments also pledged significant extraordinary funding to enable pathways to longer-term housing for some formerly homeless EA residents. However, highly restricted social housing system capacity and inadequate rent allowance provision meant that such help needed to be strictly rationed. Nevertheless, pandemic-triggered emergency measures are likely to have facilitated safe, secure and supported housing pathways for a cohort of former rough sleepers with complex needs - including a significant number unlikely to have benefited from such help in the absence of the COVID-19 crisis. Certain state governments - notably Victoria - also extended upon their short-term funding for pathways from EA by including new social housing investment within post-pandemic economic recovery programmes, potentially enabling more homeless people to be stably rehoused without disadvantaging access by other high needs groups.