When Australia is counted on 11 August, the homelessness estimates that follow are expected to far exceed the 122,494 people recorded in the 2021 Census.

The latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says that in 2024-2025, demand for services increased with approximately 289,000 people receiving support from specialist homelessness providers, up 9,000 on 2023-2024.

Homelessness is a complex national issue. Declining affordability, low rental vacancy rates, family and domestic violence and undersupply are all compounding factors pushing more Australians into housing insecurity.

CHL’s Interim CEO Alicia Follent, says, “This year’s theme is Homelessness Action Now, and I’d say we already know what works. It’s housing, delivered at scale, with the right support alongside it.”

CHL welcomed 1,820 new households into homes in 2025-2026, with 970 reporting that they were experiencing some form of homelessness.

In addition to delivering and managing community housing, CHL operates localised homelessness programs including Eastern Metropolitan Melbourne, Gippsland, the Kempsey region in New South Wales and Maryborough in Queensland. These programs provided services to more than 12,300 people last financial year, including connecting with support and referral to specialist support providers.

Follent says, “I’m incredibly proud of our people. Every life deserves a solid foundation. That belief is what they bring to work every day, and it’s why we keep turning up for households the system has too often left waiting.”