The risk and prevalence of homelessness: implications for research and policy
Andrew Hollows
Hanover Welfare Services
Contact Email:   ahollowshanover.org.au

With over 105,000 individuals counted nationally by the ABS census as homeless each night - be it rough sleeping, staying with friends or being put up in inappropriate accommodation the experience of homelessness can be quite devastating . This paper re-examines homelessness in terms of its risk, prevalence and duration; and poses a series of questions for the research and policy communities: what is the risk of homelessness between different population groups? What is the life-long prevalence of homelessness and why is it that some groups, while at risk, do not actually become homeless? And why is it that for those people who experience homelessness the majority do so only once and only briefly? Through an analysis of the distribution of homelessness and its risk, this paper maps out an alternate research agenda to address the social policy undertakings of the Australian Government’s Homelessness White Paper.

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