A staggering one in 10 Australians have been forced to sleep rough at some stage in their lives, with new research by RMIT University revealing the true plight of the homeless. The study found about 1.4 million Australians have slept rough while homeless, with 13 per cent of currently housed Australians experiencing homelessness during their lifetime and half of those experiencing homelessness more than once.
“Our survey contradicts the popular conclusion that rough sleeping is rare in modern Australia,” RMIT’s Emeritus Professor Chris Chamberlain commented “We found about 900,000 men and 500,000 women – or 7.8 per cent of the population – have slept rough in parks or improvised dwellings, in their lifetime. It’s been generally estimated that about 100,000 Australians have ever slept rough yet our research reveals a staggering 1.4 million have done so.”
Professor Chamberlain explained that the researchers set out to identify how many Australians had experienced homelessness during their lifetime through a random survey of 1349 people, and to compare their findings with Census data. Chamberlain added that the study found 15 per cent men and 11 per cent of women had been homeless. “The Census is carried out in August when it is bitterly cold and Census collectors are not going to find people sleeping rough at that time of year,’’ Chamberlain commented “Most people are hiding away for warmth and, of course, hiding away for safety. The 2011 Census counted just 6800 rough sleepers, but crucially, the Census does not ask if people have ever experienced homelessness.”