Australian Homelessness Monitor 2026

Australian Homelessness Monitor 2026 is the fifth in a series of national studies led by City Futures Research Centre that examines changes in the scale and nature of homelessness in Australia, as well as recent developments in the policies and practices employed to address it. AHM reports have been published every two years since 2018 (previous reports can be found here and here).

AHM takes inspiration from the UK Homelessness Monitor, established in 2010 by Prof Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Prof Hal Pawson; an ongoing series now in its 16th year. Suitably adapted to the Australian context, AHM has similarly established a strong reputation as a reliable, independent and authoritative homelessness policy commentary and analysis, referenced by government and industry, and covered widely in the media.

AHM 2026 is once again led by City Futures in collaboration with Prof Cameron Parsell at the University of Queensland. The City Futures team comprises Dr Andrew Clarke (project lead, UNSW School of Social Sciences, and CFRC Fellow), Prof Hal Pawson (Emeritus Professor of Housing Policy and founder of the AHM series), Chris Hartley (Research Fellow), and Joelle Moore (Research Officer).

Research methods include:

• Secondary data analysis drawing on a range of sources including AIHW Specialist Homelessness Services statistics, and rental housing market data, to identify recent patterns in homelessness and the factors contributing to them.
• Desktop review of published policy documents, to identify and assess recent changes in homelessness policy and practice
• Qualitative interviews with key homelessness sector stakeholders (covering both government and non-government sectors) to help contextualise, explain and assess the homelessness patterns and policy developments examined in the study
• An online survey of specialist homelessness service agencies to ascertain ‘front line’ service provider perspectives, and capture more of the breadth and diversity of SHS sector experiences.

For further information about the project, please contact Dr Andrew Clarke (andrew.clarke@unsw.edu.au).