Research by Perth’s Home2Health team and the Australian Health, Housing & Homelessness Network (A3HN) found that an estimated 424 people died while sleeping rough in Australia in 2020. However, this number is likely to be a significant underestimate because there are no national systems in place to measure data regarding homeless deaths.
The Guardian’s recent ‘Out in the cold’ investigation on homelessness deaths has brought this critical issue into the spotlight. The investigation found that the average age of death for people experiencing homelessness is 44 – almost three decades younger than the national average.
The invisible deaths of people experiencing homelessness are a tragedy, but future deaths can be prevented if we take action. Join the A3HN in calling on the Australian Government to implement a national homelessness deaths and life expectancy gap reporting framework.
Developing such a framework would make it possible to understand the extent of homeless deaths in Australia and inform how best to address this critical issue.