Homelessness goes beyond sleeping rough on the street. It can also be staying in crisis accommodation, couch surfing, car camping and living in a severely overcrowded home.

It’s more common and more complex than many people realise. New data from Homelessness Australia found that between 2021-22 to 2023-24, there was a five per cent uptick in families with children turning to homelessness services for urgent help.

Nominally, this reflected a 4654-person increase, with 92,476 people seeking help from services in that period, with the number of families already homeless at the time of seeking help increasing by 11 per cent.

Whether you’re experiencing homelessness now or are at risk of it, you don’t have to go through it alone.

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Across the nation, community organisations are doing vital, frontline work of supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

From general crisis and support services, mental health facilities, drug and alcohol services and domestic violence services – these groups are often the first point of contact when someone needs help.

Services Australia is just one part of the broader system working to support people doing it tough.

Jobseeker

If you’re aged between 22 and Age Pension age, and you’re actively looking for work (unless you’re sick or injured and can’t do your usual work or study for a short time), you may be eligible for JobSeeker Payment.

To qualify you must be an Australian resident, pass an income and assets test, be willing and able to work.

As of 20 March, 2025 a single person with no children could receive up to $781.10 per fortnight.

But the amount you get is going to depend on individual circumstances like whether you have a partner, children, and other sources of income.

Rent Assistance

The Rent Assistance payment can help with housing costs, even if you’re not on a formal rental agreement.

You might also be eligible if you’re paying accommodation costs:

• To stay in a caravan park

• To moor a boat

• In a retirement village

• For crisis accommodation

• For a boarding house

Rent Assistance is paid as a regular payment alongside your main payment.

To qualify for this support, you must be receiving a payment from us, like JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Special Benefit, ABSTUDY Living Allowance or Parenting Payment.

According to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data, many of these Services Australia payments were reported as the main source of income for people who were experiencing homelessness.